Polygamy Meaning
/pəˈlɪɡ.ə.mi/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe condition of having more than one spouse or marriage partner at one time.
nounSynonym of polygyny (“marriage of a man to more than one wife, the practice of having several wives at the same time”).
Sentence Examples
We don't have polygamy in Japan, dear.
The Mormons have outlawed polygamy, but some adherents still practice it.
CEFR Practice Quiz
In some cultures, a man may have several wives, a practice known as ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In some cultures, ____ is practiced and legally recognized, allowing a man to have multiple wives.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 1859, Charles Dickens, The Haunted House:
"Because Mormon polygamy was an unusual family form in nineteenth-century America […]"
— 1991, Kathryn M Daynes, Plural wives and the nineteenth-century Mormon marriage system, page 16:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
In some cultures, a man may have several wives, a practice known as ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In some cultures, ____ is practiced and legally recognized, allowing a man to have multiple wives.