JOINTURE
union, unification, uniting, conjugation, jointure
(noun) the act of making or becoming a single unit; “the union of opposing factions”; “he looked forward to the unification of his family for the holidays”
jointure, legal jointure
(noun) (law) an estate secured to a prospective wife as a marriage settlement in lieu of a dower
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
jointure (plural jointures)
(obsolete) A joining; a joint.
(legal) An estate settled on a wife, which she is to enjoy after her husband's death, for her own life at least, in satisfaction of dower.
Verb
jointure (third-person singular simple present jointures, present participle jointuring, simple past and past participle jointured)
(transitive) To settle a jointure upon.
Source: Wiktionary
Join"ture, n. Etym: [F. jointure a joint, orig., a joining, L.
junctura, fr. jungere to join. See Join, and cf. Juncture.]
1. A joining; a joint. [Obs.]
2. (Law)
Definition: An estate settled on a wife, which she is to enjoy after
husband's decease, for her own life at least, in satisfaction of
dower.
The jointure that your king must make, Which with her dowry shall be
counterpoised. Shak.
Join"ture, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Jointured; p. pr. & vb. n.
Jointuring.]
Definition: To settle a jointure upon.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition