Definitions for polygamy
pəˈlɪg ə mipo·lygamy

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. polygamynoun

   having more than one spouse at a time

WiktionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. polygamynoun

   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

2. polygamynoun

   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

3. polygamynoun

   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. polygamynoun

   The condition or state of a plant which bears both perfect and unisexual flowers.

5. Etymology: Recorded since 1591, from Late polygamia, from polygamia, itself from polygamos," from polys + gamos.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. POLYGAMYnoun

   Plurality of wives.

   Etymology: polygamie, Fr. πολυγαμία.

   Polygamy is the having more wives than one at once. John Locke.

   They allow no polygamy: they have ordained, that none do intermarry or contract, until a month be past from their first interview. Francis Bacon.

   Christian religion, prohibiting polygamy, is more agreeable to the law of nature, that is, the law of God, than mahometism that allows it; for one man, his having many wives by law, signifies nothing, unless there were many women to one man in nature also. John Graunt.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Polygamy

   Polygamy (from Late Greek πολυγαμία (polugamía) "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married to more than one husband at a time, it is called polyandry. In contrast to polygamy, monogamy is marriage consisting of only two parties. Like "monogamy", the term "polygamy" is often used in a de facto sense, applied regardless of whether a state recognizes the relationship. In sociobiology and zoology, researchers use polygamy in a broad sense to mean any form of multiple mating. Worldwide, different societies variously encourage, accept or outlaw polygamy. In societies which allow or tolerate polygamy, in the vast majority of cases the form accepted is polygyny. According to the Ethnographic Atlas Codebook (1998), of 1,231 societies noted, 588 had frequent polygyny, 453 had occasional polygyny, 186 were monogamous and 4 had polyandry – although more recent research suggests that polyandry may occur more commonly than previously thought. In cultures which practice polygamy, its prevalence among that population often correlates with social class and socioeconomic status.From a legal point of view, in many countries, although the law only recognises monogamous marriages (a person can only have one spouse, and bigamy is illegal), adultery is not illegal, leading to a situation of de facto polygamy being allowed, although without legal recognition for non-official "spouses". Scientific studies classify the human mating system as primarily monogamous, with the cultural practice of polygamy in the minority, based both on surveys of world populations, and on characteristics of human reproductive physiology.Polygamy (taking the form of polygyny) is most common in a region known as the "polygamy belt" in West Africa and Central Africa, with the countries estimated to have the highest polygamy prevalence in the world being Burkina Faso, Mali, Gambia, Niger and Nigeria.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. polygamy

   Polygamy is a form of marriage in which a person has more than one spouse at the same time. It often refers to a man being married to multiple women, but can also include a woman being married to multiple men (polyandry), or complex marriage networks (group marriage). It is practiced in some cultures, but is illegal in many countries.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Polygamynoun

   the having of a plurality of wives or husbands at the same time; usually, the marriage of a man to more than one woman, or the practice of having several wives, at the same time; -- opposed to monogamy; as, the nations of the East practiced polygamy. See the Note under Bigamy, and cf. Polyandry

2. Polygamynoun

   the state or habit of having more than one mate

3. Polygamynoun

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

4. Etymology: [Gr. ; cf. F. polygamie.]

WikidataRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Polygamy

   Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners. When a man is married to more than one wife at a time, the relationship is called polygyny, and there is no marriage bond between the wives; and when a woman is married to more than one husband at a time, it is called polyandry, and there is no marriage bond between the husbands. If a marriage includes multiple husbands and wives, it can be called group marriage. The term is used in related ways in social anthropology, sociobiology, sociology, as well as in popular speech. In social anthropology, polygamy is the practice of a person's making him/herself available for two or more spouses to mate with. In contrast, monogamy is a marriage consisting of only two parties. Like monogamy, the term is often used in a de facto sense, applying regardless of whether the relationships are recognized by the state. In sociobiology and zoology, polygamy is used in a broad sense to mean any form of multiple mating. The only form in which polygamy is permitted in countries which do permit it is in the form of a man taking multiple wives. In most of these countries, alongside polygamy, child marriage is also common.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Polygamy

   pō-lig′a-mi, n. the practice of having more than one wife at the same time.—n.pl. Polygā′mia, the 23d class in the Linnæan system, embracing plants in which the stamens and pistils are separate in some flowers and associated in others.—adj. Polygā′mian.—n. Polyg′amist.—adj. Polyg′amous, relating to polygamy: (bot.) a term applied to plants which bear both unisexual and hermaphrodite flowers, either on the same or on different individual plants. [Gr.,—polys, many, gamos, marriage.]

The Roycroft DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. polygamy

   An endeavor to get more out of life than there is in it.

The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon WurdzRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. POLYGAMY

   A thoughtless way of increasing the family expenses.

EntomologyRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Polygamy

   where a male mates with more than one female.

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce polygamy?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say polygamy in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of polygamy in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of polygamy in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of polygamy in a Sentence

1. Jessica Christensen:

   I was raised in polygamy. I was born to Heidi and John Daniel. Heidi is John Daniel’s sixth wife out of 14 wives. My lifestyle growing up was kind of like she was just a single mom. My dad was the disciplinarian, it was a pretty abusive environment, primarily physical abuse from my dad, and then there was also sexual abuse within the group from children to children—the older children to younger children.

2. Ted Cruz:

   Not only does the so-called Respect for Marriage Act open the door for a weaponized IRS to target religious non-profits, but it will start a race to the bottom, forcing the most extreme marriage laws from any state onto every other state, it will only take a California, New York, or Massachusetts to legalize polygamy, incest, or child marriages to force every state to recognize these relationships as well.

3. Sound Choices Coalition:

   This is abhorrent to us, many polygamist victims and other Utahn's who recognize that religious polygamy, as practiced in Utah and around the country, is responsible for many serious human rights violations, most who are living in these fundamentalist polygamous groups and families, are treated as property, forced to work without pay, traded as daughters, coerced into having unwanted sex, and into giving birth to numerous children they can not care for.

4. Kit Opie:

   We're moving away from 'Until death do us part' as women are no longer willing to put up with [polygamy].

5. John Dehlin:

   I was excommunicated because I was speaking openly on difficult issues like same-sex marriage and Joseph Smith's polygamy and women ordination in the church.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=polygamy
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Polygamy
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=polygamy
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygamy
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polygamy
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=polygamy
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=polygamy
9. ^ The Roycroft Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/36566/36566-h/36566-h.htm#:~:text=polygamy
10. ^ The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon Wurdz
    https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1989/pg1989-images.html#:~:text=polygamy
11. ^ Entomology
    https://www.gutenberg.org/files/22748/22748-h/22748-h.htm#:~:text=polygamy
12. ^ Usage in printed sources
    https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=polygamy