polygamy

[ puh-lig-uh-mee ]

/ pəˈlɪg ə mi /

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See synonyms for polygamy on Thesaurus.com

noun

the practice or condition of having more than one spouse, especially wife, at one time.Compare bigamy (def. 1), monogamy (def. 1).

Zoology. the habit or system of mating with more than one individual, either simultaneously or successively.

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Origin of polygamy

From the Greek word polygamía, dating back to 1585–95. See poly-, -gamy

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH polygamy

bigamy, polyandry, polygamy , polygyny

Words nearby polygamy

polygalacturonase, polygamic, polygamist, polygamophile, polygamous, polygamy, polygene, polygenesis, polygenetic, polygenic, polygenic inheritance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use polygamy in a sentence

When you talk about polygamy, at least it functions biologically.
A 13-Year-Old Put This Homophobic Ex-Virginia Lawmaker to Shame|Michael Daly|June 25, 2021|The Daily Beast
Such charges are rare and more common with members who are promoting polygamy, according to Taylor Petrey, a scholar of the history of gender and sexuality in contemporary Mormonism.
Mormon sex therapist faces discipline and possible expulsion from the LDS Church|Sarah Pulliam Bailey|April 16, 2021|Washington Post
If anything, what polygamy does flow from is a general opening up of options.
Is Polygamy the Next Gay Marriage?|Sally Kohn|September 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This conversation often bleeds easily into a “the more the merrier” logic followed by some joke about polygamy.
Is Polygamy the Next Gay Marriage?|Sally Kohn|September 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And contrary to popular belief, polygamy was not an exclusively Mormon concept.
This Week’s Hot Reads: April 14, 2014|Charles Shafaieh|April 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Polygamy is acceptable, especially because it is only the men who are Gods.
Word Is Bond: An Ex-Con Explains the 5 Percenters|Daniel Genis|April 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So put it the other way: there are no laws explicitly prohibiting polygamy.
Polygamy, the Bible’s Ultimate Family Value|Joel Baden|December 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Polygamy is simply a matter of wealth and arrangement, and women are purchased and treated like slaves.
Ancient Faiths And Modern|Thomas Inman
Polygamy has been established among the Tartars of every age.
The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire|Edward Gibbon
What can be said to the practices of polygamy and concubinage, which prevailed even in these golden times and in pious families?
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. II|Francis Augustus Cox
Polygamy is retained at this day among the Turks, and throughout every part of Asia in which Christianity is not professed.
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. II|Francis Augustus Cox
If we cannot justify monogamy by the facts of life, we shall declare ourselves for polygamy.
The Book of Life: Vol. I Mind and Body; Vol. II Love and Society|Upton Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for polygamy

polygamy

/ (pəˈlɪɡəmɪ) /

noun

the practice of having more than one wife or husband at the same timeCompare polyandry, polygyny

the condition of having male, female, and hermaphrodite flowers on the same plant
the condition of having these different types of flower on separate plants of the same species

the practice in male animals of having more than one mate during one breeding season

Derived forms of polygamy

polygamist, nounpolygamous, adjectivepolygamously, adverb

Word Origin for polygamy

C16: via French from Greek polugamia from poly- + -gamy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for polygamy

polygamy

[ (puh-lig-uh-mee) ]

The practice of having several wives or husbands at the same time. (Compare monogamy.)

polygamy

COMPARE COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS

Origin of polygamy

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH polygamy

Words nearby polygamy

Words related to polygamy

How to use polygamy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for polygamy

Derived forms of polygamy

Word Origin for polygamy

Cultural definitions for polygamy