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polygamy

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po⋅lyg⋅a⋅my

  [puh-lig-uh-mee]
Use polygamy in a Sentence
–noun
1. the practice or condition of having more than one spouse, esp. wife, at one time. Compare bigamy (def. 1), monogamy (def. 1).
2. Zoology. the habit or system of mating with more than one individual, either simultaneously or successively.
Origin:
1585–95; < Gk polygamía. See poly-, -gamy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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po·lyg·a·my   (pə-lĭg'ə-mē)   
n.  

  1. The condition or practice of having more than one spouse at one time. Also called plural marriage.

  2. Zoology A mating pattern in which a single individual mates with more than one individual of the opposite sex.


[French polygamie, from Late Latin polygamia, from Greek polugamiā : polu-, poly- + -gamiā, -gamy.]
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

polygamy [(puh-lig-uh-mee)]

The practice of having several wives or husbands at the same time. (Compare monogamy.)

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

polygamy 
1591, from L.L. polygamia, from Late Gk. polygamia "polygamy," from polygamos "often married," from polys "many" + gamos "marriage" (see gamete). Not etymologically restricted to marriage of one man and multiple women (technically polygyny), but often used as if it were.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: po·lyg·a·my
Pronunciation: p&-'li-g&-mE
Function: noun
: the offense of having several and specifically more than two spouses at one time —compare BIGAMY —po·lyg·a·mous /-m&s/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: po·lyg·a·my
Pronunciation: -mE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -mies
: marriage in which a spouseof either sex may have more than one mate at the same time —compare POLYANDRY, POLYGYNY
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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