divorce-friendly
|di-vorce-friend-ly|
🇺🇸
/dɪˈvɔrsˌfrɛndli/
🇬🇧
/dɪˈvɔːsˌfrɛndli/
permits or accommodates divorce
Etymology
'divorce-friendly' originates from modern English as a compound of 'divorce' and 'friendly', where 'divorce' ultimately comes from Latin 'divortium' (via Old French 'divorcer') and 'friendly' is formed from 'friend' + the adjectival suffix '-ly'.
'divorce' came into English via Old French 'divorcer' and Latin 'divortium' (related to 'divertere', 'to turn aside'); 'friendly' evolved from Old English 'freondlic' → Middle English 'frendliche' → modern 'friendly'. The productive modern suffix '-friendly' (as in 'child-friendly') led to compounds like 'divorce-friendly' in recent English usage.
Initially, 'divorce' referred to legal separation or the act of separating; combined with 'friendly' the compound's meaning evolved to indicate something that permits, facilitates, or accepts divorce rather than merely referring to the act itself.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
permitting, facilitating, or making divorce legally or practically easier (often said of laws, jurisdictions, or policies).
They moved to a divorce-friendly state to shorten the waiting period for legal separation.
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Adjective 2
accepting of divorce as an outcome in personal or social contexts; not stigmatizing separation (said of people, communities, workplaces).
The company adopted a divorce-friendly policy to support employees going through separation.
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Adjective 3
designed to accommodate clients seeking divorce or related services (said of firms, services, or products).
They advertised themselves as a divorce-friendly law firm specializing in swift settlements.
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Last updated: 2025/10/25 07:11