ménage à trois

or menage a trois

[ mey-nahzhah trwah; French mey-nazha-trwah ]
See synonyms for ménage à trois on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural mé·na·ges à trois [mey-nah-zhiz ah trwah]. /meɪˈnɑ ʒɪz ɑ ˈtrwɑ/.
  1. a domestic arrangement in which three people, usually a heterosexual couple and one other person, are engaged in a sexual or romantic relationship and occupy the same household.

Origin of ménage à trois

1
First recorded in 1860–65; from French: “household of three”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for ménage à trois

ménage à trois

/ French (menaʒ a trwɑ) /


nounplural ménages à trois (menaʒ a trwɑ)
  1. a sexual arrangement involving a married couple and the lover of one of them

Origin of ménage à trois

1
literally: household of three

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012