morganatic

adj. 1 (of a marriage) between a person of high rank and one of lower rank, the spouse and children having no claim to the possessions or title of the person of higher rank. 2 (of a spouse) married in this way. [latin morganaticus from germanic, = morning gift, from a husband to his wife on the morning after consummation of a marriage]

a. Pertaining to, in the manner of, or designating, a kind of marriage, called also left-handed marriage, between a man of superior rank and a woman of inferior, in which it is stipulated that neither the latter nor her children shall enjoy the rank or inherit the possessions of her husband.