Polygamy
Pronunciation
- Hyphenation: po + ly + ga + my
- IPA: /pəˈlɪgəmi/
Origin
Recorded since 1591, from Late Latin polygamia, from Ancient Greek πολυγαμία, itself from πολÏγαμος ("married to many")," from πολÏÏ‚ ("many") + γάμος ("marriage"). Relates to modern prefix & suffix - + gamy + -.
Full definition of polygamy
Noun
polygamy
(plural polygamies)- The having of multiple socially bonded sexual partners at the same time''Originally polygamy could work either or both ways, but civilisation generally forbids simultaneous husbands
- The condition of having more than one spouse or marriage partner at one time.
- 1991, Kathryn M Daynes, Plural wives and the nineteenth-century Mormon marriage system, page 16Because Mormon polygamy was an unusual family form in nineteenth-century America ...
- 2008, Zeitzen, Miriam Koktvedgaard Polygamy: a cross-cultural analysis, p 3
- Muslims and early Mormon communities have been known to practise polygamy.
- (zoology) The state or habit of having more than one sexual mate.''An insect queen actually practices polygamy only one day, while for an alpha-male defending his harem is the very essence of both his status and polygamy
- (botany) The condition or state of a plant which bears both perfect and unisexual flowers.
- Commonly used specifically for polygyny, the marriage of a man to more than one wife, or the practice of having several wives, at the same time.''The Islamic form of polygamy is a husband with up to four wives
Synonyms
- (common restriction) polygyny