When an unmarried couple splits up, the person who makes more money will sometimes be ordered by a court to help their former partner financially — this is called palimony.
After a divorce, a former husband or wife is often required to help support an ex-spouse who earns less money. The legal term for this court-ordered financial support is alimony. Alimony has been around for hundreds of years, while the newer palimony, which is not an official legal term, was coined in the late 1970s by a lawyer whose client was suing her former long-term partner for financial support. The word is a portmanteau of pal and alimony.