polygamy
Meaning
The practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time.
The condition of having more than one mate at one time, used especially in zoology.
Structure
Usage
Some cultures historically practiced polygamy, though it is illegal in many nations today.
The anthropologist studied the social structures surrounding polygamy in the community.
In certain bird species, polygamy is observed, with one male mating with several females.
Etymology
The word 'polygamy' is a direct borrowing from Late Latin polygamia, which itself was adopted from Greek polygamia, a compound of poly- ("many") and gamos ("marriage"). The Greek root gamos traces back to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root ǵem-, meaning "to marry," which also gives us words like "monogamy" and "bigamy." While the literal construction means "many marriages," its modern legal and social meaning specifically denotes the practice of having multiple spouses simultaneously, distinguishing it from sequential marriages. In biological contexts, the term was later extended to describe mating systems where an individual has more than one mate.
Analysis
- poly: From Greek poly-, meaning "much, many". A combining form acting as a prefix. - gamy: From Greek -gamos, meaning "marriage" or "union". A combining form acting as a root/suffix.