adjectiveof or designating a marriage between a person of high rank and a person of low rank, by which the latter is not elevated to the higher rank and any issue have no rights to the succession of the higher party's titles, property, etc
Word origin
C18: from the Medieval Latin phrase
mātrimōnium ad morganāticum marriage based on the morning-gift (a token present after consummation representingthe husband's only liability);
morganātica, ultimately from Old High German
morgan morning; compare Old English
morgengiefu morning-gift