polygamy

English

Etymology

Recorded since 1591, from Late Latin polygamia, from Ancient Greek πολυγαμία (polugamía), itself from πολύγαμος (polúgamos, “married to many”), from πολύς (polús, “many”) + γάμος (gámos, “marriage”). Relates to modern prefix and suffix poly- +‎ -gamy.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: po‧ly‧ga‧my
• IPA^(key): /pəˈlɪɡ.ə.mi/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

polygamy (countable and uncountable, plural polygamies)

1. The condition of having more than one spouse or marriage partner at one time.

   Are there countries where polygamy is legal for both men and women?

   • 1859, Charles Dickens, The Haunted House:

     Miss Griffin was a model of propriety, and I am at a loss to imagine what the feelings of the virtuous woman would have been, if she had known, when she paraded us down the Hampstead Road two and two, that she was walking with a stately step at the head of Polygamy and Mahomedanism.

2. (often, especially in common use) Synonym of polygyny (“marriage of a man to more than one wife, the practice of having several wives at the same time”)

   Though Islam allows polygamy, it is frowned upon in many contemporary Muslim societies.

   • 1991, Kathryn M Daynes, Plural wives and the nineteenth-century Mormon marriage system, page 16:

     Because Mormon polygamy was an unusual family form in nineteenth-century America […]

3. (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.

4. (botany) The condition or state of a plant which bears both perfect and unisexual flowers.

Antonyms

• monogamy
• (agamy)

Hyponyms

• polygyny
• polyandry

Derived terms

• polygamic
• polygamical
• polygamist
• polygamize
• polygamous
• serial polygamy

 

Translations

the having of a plurality of socially bonded sexual partners at the same time

• Arabic: تَعَدُّدُ الأَزْوَاج m (taʕaddudu l-ʔazwāj) (usually understood as “polygyny”, but may include “polyandry”, unlike تَعَدُّدُ الزَّوْجَات (taʕaddudu z-zawjāt))
• Belarusian: паліга́мія f (palihámija), мнагашлю́бнасць f (mnahašljúbnascʹ), многажо́нства n (mnohažónstva) (polygyny), многаму́ства n (mnohamústva) (polyandry)
• Bulgarian: полигамия f (poligamija)
• Catalan: poligàmia f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 多配偶制 (duōpèi'ǒuzhì), (polygyny) 一夫多妻 (zh) (yī fū duō qī)

• Czech: polygamie (cs) f, mnohoženství (cs) f
• Dutch: polygamie (nl) f
• Esperanto: poligamio, pluredzeco (eo)
• Estonian: polügaamia
• Finnish: moniavioisuus (fi), polygamia (fi)
• French: polygamie (fr) f
• Georgian: პოლიგამია (ṗoligamia), მრავალქორწინება (mravalkorc̣ineba)
• German: Polygamie (de) f, Mehrehe f, Vielehe (de) f
• Greek: πολυγαμία (el) f (polygamía)

  Ancient: πολυγαμία f (polugamía)

• Gujarati: બહુપતિત્વ n (bahuptitva)
• Hebrew: פוליגמיה (he) f (poligámya)
• Hindi: बहुविवाह (hi) (bahuvivāh), बहुसंगमन (bahusaṅgman)
• Hungarian: poligámia (hu), többnejűség (hu)
• Indonesian: poligami (id), pernikahan jamak
• Irish: polagamas m, ilphósadh m
• Italian: poligamia (it) f
• Japanese: 複婚 (ふくこん, fukukon), ポリガミー (porigamī)
• Javanese: wayuh (jv)
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Macedonian: многубра́чност f (mnogubráčnost), полигамија f (poligamija)
• Manx: yl-phoosey m
• Maori: moe punarau
• Persian: چندهمسری (fa) (čandhamsari), تعدد زوجات (fa) (ta'addod-e zowjât) (having multiple wives)
• Polish: poligamia (pl) f, wielożeństwo (pl) n
• Portuguese: poligamia (pt) f
• Romanian: poligamie (ro) f
• Russian: полигами́я (ru) f (poligamíja), многобра́чие (ru) n (mnogobráčije), (polygyny) многожёнство (ru) f (mnogožónstvo), (polyandry) многому́жество (ru) n (mnogomúžestvo)
• Scottish Gaelic: iol-phòsadh m, ioma-phòsadh m, iomnuachadh m
• Serbo-Croatian: poligàmija (sh) f
• Slovak: polygamia, mnohoženstvo
• Spanish: poligamia (es) f
• Swedish: månggifte (sv) n, polygami (sv) c
• Tagalog: poligamiya
• Turkish: çokeşlilik
• Ukrainian: поліга́мія f (polihámija), багатошлю́бність (uk) f (bahatošljúbnistʹ), багатоже́нство (uk) n (bahatožénstvo) (polygyny), багатому́жжя (uk) n (bahatomúžžja) (polyandry)
• Welsh: amlbriodas f

polygyny — see polygyny

zoology: the state or habit of having more than one mate

• Dutch: polygamie (nl) f
• Finnish: polygamia (fi)
• Hindi: बहुसंगमन (bahusaṅgman)
• Japanese: 多婚性 (takonsei)
• Polish: poligamia (pl) f

botany: the condition or state of a plant which bears both perfect and unisexual flowers

• Catalan: poligàmia
• Dutch: polygamie (nl) f
• Finnish: polygamia (fi)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} polygamie (fr) f
• Norwegian: ^{(please verify)} flergifte n, ^{(please verify)} flerkoneri n, ^{(please verify)} polygami (no) n

See also

• concubine
• harem, seraglio