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monogamy

 - 7 dictionary results

mo⋅nog⋅a⋅my

  [muh-nog-uh-mee]
Use monogamy in a Sentence
–noun
1. marriage with only one person at a time. Compare bigamy, polygamy.
2. Zoology. the practice of having only one mate.
3. the practice of marrying only once during life.
Compare digamy.

Origin:
1605–15; < LL monogamia < Gk monogamía. See mono-, -gamy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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mo·nog·a·my   (mə-nŏg'ə-mē)   
n.  

  1. The practice or condition of having a single sexual partner during a period of time.

    1. The practice or condition of being married to only one person at a time.

    2. The practice of marrying only once in a lifetime.

  3. Zoology The condition of having only one mate during a breeding season or during the breeding life of a pair.

mo·nog'a·mist n., mo·nog'a·mous adj., mo·nog'a·mous·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

monogamy [(muh-nog-uh-mee)]

A form of marriage in which one man is united with one woman. (Compare polyandry and polygamy.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

monogamy 
1612, from Fr. monogamie, from L.L. monogamia, from Gk. monogamia, from monogamos "marrying only once," from monos "single, alone" + gamos "marriage." Monogamous first recorded 1770.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: mo·nog·a·my
Pronunciation: -mE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -mies
: the state or custom ofbeing married to one person at a time or of having only one mate at a time —mo·nog·a·mous /m&-'näg-&-m&s/ also mono·gam·ic /"män-&-'gam-ik/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

monogamy mo·nog·a·my (mə-nŏg'ə-mē)
n.

  1. The practice or condition of being married to only one person at a time.

  2. The condition of having only one mate.

mo·nog'a·mous adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

monogamy

the custom that allows a person to be legally married to only one spouse at one time. Appearing in two general forms, monogamy may imply a lifelong contract between two individuals that may be broken only under penalty-as prevails in the Roman Catholic and Hindu prescriptions for marriage-or it may imply that persons are required to be monogamous but may change spouses repeatedly, a practice sometimes called serial monogamy.

Learn more about monogamy with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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