Changes

==Etymology==

==Etymology==

Anglo-French aloper, esloper to abduct, run away

Anglo-French aloper, esloper to abduct, run away

*Date: [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/17th_Century 1628]

*Date: [https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/17th_Century 1628]

==Definitions==

==Definitions==

*1 : to slip away : [[escape]] <might have mistaken him for…some scarecrow eloped from a cornfield — Washington Irving>

*1 : to slip away : [[escape]] <might have mistaken him for…some scarecrow eloped from a cornfield — Washington Irving>

To '''elope''', most [[literally]], merely means to run away, and to not come back to the point of [[origin]]ation. More specifically, elopement is often used to refer to a [[marriage]] conducted in sudden and [[secret]]ive [[fashion]], usually involving hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting married.

To '''elope''', most [[literally]], merely means to run away, and to not come back to the point of [[origin]]ation. More specifically, elopement is often used to refer to a [[marriage]] conducted in sudden and [[secret]]ive [[fashion]], usually involving hurried flight away from one's place of residence together with one's beloved with the intention of getting married.

In [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England England], a legal prerequisite of [[marriage]] was[when?] the "reading of the banns" — for the three Sundays prior to the intended date of the [[ceremony]], the names of every couple intending marriage had to be read aloud by the priest(s) of their parish(es) of residence. The [[intention]] of this was to prevent bigamy or other unlawful marriages by giving fair warning to anybody who might have a legal right to object. In [[practice]], however, it also gave warning to the couples' [[parents]], who sometimes objected on purely [[personal]] grounds. To contravene this [[law]], it was necessary to get a special license from the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbishop_of_Canterbury Archbishop of Canterbury] — or to flee somewhere the law did not apply, across the border to Gretna Green, Scotland, for instance.

In [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England England], a legal prerequisite of [[marriage]] was[when?] the "reading of the banns" — for the three Sundays prior to the intended date of the [[ceremony]], the names of every couple intending marriage had to be read aloud by the priest(s) of their parish(es) of residence. The [[intention]] of this was to prevent bigamy or other unlawful marriages by giving fair warning to anybody who might have a legal right to object. In [[practice]], however, it also gave warning to the couples' [[parents]], who sometimes objected on purely [[personal]] grounds. To contravene this [[law]], it was necessary to get a special license from the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbishop_of_Canterbury Archbishop of Canterbury] — or to flee somewhere the law did not apply, across the border to Gretna Green, Scotland, for instance.

In the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States United States], [[marriage]] [[law]] can differ from state to [[state]], which sometimes leads couples to cross state lines to be married. Some states, for example, require blood tests (for STDs such as syphilis) or waiting periods before marriage; a couple wishing to wed quickly (before, usually, their [[parents]] could object) might [[travel]] to a state without such a rule. In the musical [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guys_and_Dolls_(musical) Guys and Dolls], for instance, Lt. Brannigan suggests that Nathan Detroit and Adelaide, his fiancée of fourteen years, elope to Elkton, Maryland, which does not require a blood test. Restriction on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_rights civil rights] have also been a reason for elopements. In many states interracial marriage was once illegal, which led to elopements.

In the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States United States], [[marriage]] [[law]] can differ from state to [[state]], which sometimes leads couples to cross state lines to be married. Some states, for example, require blood tests (for STDs such as syphilis) or waiting periods before marriage; a couple wishing to wed quickly (before, usually, their [[parents]] could object) might [[travel]] to a state without such a rule. In the musical [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guys_and_Dolls_(musical) Guys and Dolls], for instance, Lt. Brannigan suggests that Nathan Detroit and Adelaide, his fiancée of fourteen years, elope to Elkton, Maryland, which does not require a blood test. Restriction on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_rights civil rights] have also been a reason for elopements. In many states interracial marriage was once illegal, which led to elopements.

Today the term "elopement" is colloquially used for any marriage [[performed]] in haste or in [[private]] or without a [[public]] period of [[engagement]].

Today the term "elopement" is colloquially used for any marriage [[performed]] in haste or in [[private]] or without a [[public]] period of [[engagement]].

[[Category: Sociology]]

[[Category: Sociology]]