Astrophil

To Meral: Hi, I just saw your reply. Like I said, it's an old book I'm translating so, yes, perhaps this is a somewhat archaic term that has survived in other cultures but not in Turkey. Thanks for your help.

Right, the two words kind of sound alike too so I guess this may be it. I just wonder whether this difference you describle between a religious and a civil marriage is not a product of 20th Century secularization, and, if so, how applicabe it might be to older times when I would imagine religious and civil law to have been fairly coextensive. Still, this is quite helpful. Thank you.

(To Ken Grubb) Thank you for your reply and your willingness to help. Regarding the context, let me quotre the paragraph a little more fully: "In order that the union might begin with speed, and yet be of a nature to terminate with decency, we agreed upon one of those short-hand marriages called by the Turks cabeen : — but, for the purpose of avoiding the obloquy to which nuptials of that sort are liable, notwithstanding their legality, ours were to be kept a secret;" So we are talking about a form of marriage that is legal (according to the author at least) but nevertheless

I am translating an English novel set in 18th C Turkey. It uses several Turkish words and terms, whose meaning I have mostly managed to discover so far, though often with much effort and difficulty (incidentally I would very much like to hear suggestions regarding any good - and preferably freely available! - Turkish-English dictionary.) Anyway, I am currently stuck with the following phrase, and I would appreciate the help of Turkish speakers. The protagonist has met a woman and says: "In order that the union might begin with speed, and yet be of a nature to terminate with decency, we a