Eheliche

Eheliche is a German term that relates to marriage. In contemporary usage the more common form is the adjective ehelich, meaning related to marriage or legitimate by wedlock. The phrase e.g. ehewages? No—examples include eheliche Gemeinschaft (marital community), eheliche Rechte (marital rights) or eheliche Pflichten (marital duties). The term can describe things tied to the status of being married or to children born within wedlock.

The capitalization and nominalization of Eheliche occur mainly in older or legal texts. In such contexts das Eheliche can function as a noun referring to the realm or aspects of marriage, as in das Eheliche Leben (the marital life) or similar constructions. This nominalized form is rare in modern everyday language and may sound archaic or formal.

Etymologically, ehelich derives from Ehe (marriage) with the suffix -lich, producing a word that denotes characteristic or pertaining to marriage. A related distinction in German is between ehelich (marital, legitimate by marriage) and unehelich (illegitimate or born outside marriage). This opposition has appeared in legal, religious, and societal discussions about status, inheritance, and family rights.

In summary, Eheliche is a historically and legally resonant term linked to marriage, most often encountered today in formal or historical texts as ehelich, with das Eheliche as a rare nominal form. For everyday language, speakers typically use phrases built with the adjective rather than the nominalized form.