polygamy

CEFRC1

/pəˈlɪɡ.ə.mi/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    The practice of having more than one husband or wife at once.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

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

Examples

  • The Mormons have outlawed polygamy, but some adherents still practice it.

  • We don't have polygamy in Japan, dear.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
2
Synonyms
1

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The state or habit of having more than one sexual mate.

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

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

More examples

In context

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

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

  • 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.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

In some cultures, a man may have several wives, a practice known as blank.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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.