Table of Contents
Definition of Polygamy
(noun) Any condition or practice of marriage that consists of multiple spouses at the same time.
Examples of Polygamy
Polygamy Pronunciation
Syllabification: po·lyg·a·my
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /puh-lIgUH-mee/
- British English – /puh-lIgUH-mee/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /pəˈlɪɡəmi/
- British English – /pəˈlɪɡəmi/
Usage Notes
- Polygamy, specifically polygyny and polyandry, as a marital norm is contrasted to monogamy.
- Monogamy is still prevalent in societies and cultures that allow or promote polygamy as typically only the wealthy can afford multiple spouses.
- A type of marriage and polyamory.
- Also called plural marriage, although this term is typically associated with Mormons.
- A (noun) polygamist engages in a (adjective) polygamous or (adjective) polygamistic relationship.
Additional Information
- Family and Kinship Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “polygamy” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
Works Consulted
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Cite the Definition of Polygamy
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “polygamy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 24, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/polygamy/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
polygamy. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/polygamy/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “polygamy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/polygamy/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“polygamy.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/polygamy/>.