Provided with or receiving alimony; supported by an allowance for maintenance.
From 'alimony' (from Latin alimentum, 'nourishment') combined with the suffix '-ed,' creating an adjective form meaning 'having received alimony.'
Modern divorce law still uses the ancient Roman concept—when someone is 'alimonied,' they're literally receiving what Romans called 'alimenta,' money for food and living expenses ordered by a court.
Alimony historically encoded assumptions about male breadwinning and female economic dependency. The legal framework emerged from coverture doctrine, where married women had no independent property rights, making alimony the only financial recourse after divorce for wives economically dependent on husbands.
Use gender-neutral language: 'spousal support' or 'spousal maintenance' rather than alimony, which carries gendered historical baggage about women's dependency and male financial obligation.
["spousal support","spousal maintenance","financial support"]
Women's advocates fought for alimony law reform in the 1960s-80s to recognize both spouses' economic contributions and to enable women's financial independence rather than permanent economic dependence on ex-partners.
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