'wedlock' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'wedlāc,' where 'wed' meant 'pledge' and 'lāc' meant 'action or state.'

'wedlāc' transformed into the Middle English word 'wedlok,' and eventually became the modern English word 'wedlock'.

Initially, it meant 'the state of being pledged or promised,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'the state of being married.'