Polygamic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to or characterized by the practice of having more than one spouse simultaneously; describing social or marital arrangements involving multiple partners; indicating systems or relationships where multiple individuals are married at the same time
2. Pertaining to a condition or custom of engaging in marriage with several spouses concurrently; referring to matrimonial structures with multiple partners; used to denote forms of unions that include more than one spouse at once
3. Associated with the concept of having multiple spouses simultaneously in a marital context; signifying practices or norms of plural marriage; descriptive of relationships involving several husbands or wives at the same time

Etymology: Greek builds this from "polys," meaning "many," and "gamos," meaning "marriage," so the underlying idea is literally "many-married." The same "gamos" appears in "bigamy" (two marriages) and "monogamy" (one marriage), each with a different number prefix. "Polygamic" adds the English suffix "-ic," which turns a noun into an adjective meaning "relating to." The word therefore describes things connected to the practice rather than the practice itself. The noun "polygamy" is the broader term and covers any arrangement with multiple spouses. The narrower term "polygyny" refers specifically to one husband with several wives.

Synonyms: polygamous

Antonyms: monogamous