Exogamy is the prescription, custom, or practice of marrying outside a certain group. Sometimes also called “outbreeding,” it is generally understood as the positive expression of the incest prohibition. There are, however, other forms of exogamic prescription or practices not related to genealogical connections, such as local, linguistic, or social exogamy. While exogamic rules and practices are generally understood as a means of maintaining and reproducing relationships between social groups through intermarriage, they are also an illustration of particular cultural and social values related to sameness and difference.