View source for polygamy

==English==

===Etymology===
Recorded since 1591, from {{der|en|LL.|polygamia}}, from {{der|en|grc|πολυγαμία}}, itself from {{m|grc|πολύγαμος|t=married to many}}, from {{m|grc|πολύς|t=many}} + {{m|grc|γάμος|t=marriage}}. Relates to modern prefix and suffix {{af|en|poly-|-gamy}}.

===Pronunciation===
* {{hyphenation|en|po|ly|ga|my}}
* {{IPA|en|/pəˈlɪɡ.ə.mi/}}
* {{audio|en|en-us-polygamy.ogg|a=US}}

===Noun===
{{en-noun|~}}

# The condition of having more than one spouse or marriage partner at one time.
#: {{ux|en|Are there countries where '''polygamy''' is legal for both men and women?}}
#* {{quote-book|en|year=1859|author=Charles Dickens|title=The Haunted House|passage=Miss Griffin was a model of propriety, and I am at a loss to imagine what the feelings of the virtuous woman would have been, if she had known, when she paraded us down the Hampstead Road two and two, that she was walking with a stately step at the head of '''Polygamy''' and Mahomedanism.}}
# {{lb|en|often, especially in common use}} {{synonym of|en|polygyny|t=marriage of a man to more than one wife, the practice of having several wives at the same time}}
#: {{ux|en|Though Islam allows '''polygamy''', it is frowned upon in many contemporary Muslim societies.}}
#* {{quote-text|en|year=1991|author=Kathryn M Daynes|title=Plural wives and the nineteenth-century Mormon marriage system|page=16
|passage=Because Mormon '''polygamy''' was an unusual family form in nineteenth-century America {{...}}}}
# {{lb|en|zoology}} The state or habit of having more than one sexual [[mate]].
#: {{ux|en|An insect queen actually practices '''polygamy''' only one day, while for an alpha-male defending his harem is the very essence of both his status and '''polygamy'''.}}
# {{lb|en|botany}} The condition or state of a plant which bears both [[perfect]] and [[unisexual]] flowers.

====Antonyms====
* {{l|en|monogamy}}
* {{lb|en|agamy}}

====Hyponyms====
* {{l|en|polygyny}}
* {{l|en|polyandry}}

====Derived terms====
{{der3|en
| polygamic
| polygamical
| polygamist
| polygamize
| polygamous
| serial polygamy
}}

====Translations====
{{trans-top|the having of a plurality of socially bonded sexual partners at the same time}}
* Arabic: {{t|ar|تَعَدُّدُ الأَزْوَاج|m}} {{q|usually understood as “polygyny”, but may include “polyandry”, unlike {{m|ar|تَعَدُّدُ الزَّوْجَات}}}}
* Belarusian: {{t|be|паліга́мія|f}}, {{t|be|мнагашлю́бнасць|f}}, {{t|be|многажо́нства|n}} {{qualifier|polygyny}}, {{t|be|многаму́ства|n}} {{qualifier|polyandry}}
* Bulgarian: {{t|bg|полигамия|f}}
* Catalan: {{t|ca|poligàmia|f}}
* Chinese:
*: Mandarin: {{t|cmn|多配偶制|tr=duōpèi'ǒuzhì}}, {{qualifier|polygyny}} {{t+|cmn|一夫多妻|tr=yī fū duō qī}}
* Czech: {{t+|cs|polygamie|f}}, {{t+|cs|mnohoženství|f}}
* Dutch: {{t+|nl|polygamie|f}}
* Esperanto: {{t|eo|poligamio}}, {{t+|eo|pluredzeco}}
* Estonian: {{t|et|polügaamia}}
* Finnish: {{t+|fi|moniavioisuus}}, {{t+|fi|polygamia}}
* French: {{t+|fr|polygamie|f}}
* Georgian: {{t|ka|პოლიგამია}}, {{t|ka|მრავალქორწინება}}
* German: {{t+|de|Polygamie|f}}, {{t|de|Mehrehe|f}}, {{t+|de|Vielehe|f}}
* Greek: {{t+|el|πολυγαμία|f}}
*: Ancient: {{t|grc|πολυγαμία|f}}
* Gujarati: {{t|gu|બહુપતિત્વ|n}}
* Hebrew: {{t+|he|פוליגמיה|f|tr=poligámya}}
* Hindi: {{t+|hi|बहुविवाह}}, {{t|hi|बहुसंगमन}}
* Hungarian: {{t+|hu|poligámia}}, {{t+|hu|többnejűség}}
* Indonesian: {{t+|id|poligami}}, {{t|id|pernikahan jamak}}
* Irish: {{t|ga|polagamas|m}}, {{t|ga|ilphósadh|m}}
* Italian: {{t+|it|poligamia|f}}
* Japanese: {{t|ja|複婚|tr=ふくこん, fukukon}}, {{t|ja|ポリガミー|tr=porigamī}}
* Javanese: {{t+|jv|wayuh}}
* Korean: {{t-needed|ko}}
* Macedonian: {{t|mk|многубра́чност|f}}, {{t|mk|полигамија|f}}
* Manx: {{t|gv|yl-phoosey|m}}
* Maori: {{t|mi|moe punarau}}
* Persian: {{t+|fa|چندهمسری|tr=čandhamsari}}, {{t+|fa|تعدد زوجات|tr=ta'addod-e zowjât}} {{qualifier|having multiple wives}}
* Polish: {{t+|pl|poligamia|f}}, {{t+|pl|wielożeństwo|n}}
* Portuguese: {{t+|pt|poligamia|f}}
* Romanian: {{t+|ro|poligamie|f}}
* Russian: {{t+|ru|полигами́я|f}}, {{t+|ru|многобра́чие|n}}, {{qualifier|polygyny}} {{t+|ru|многожёнство|f}}, {{qualifier|polyandry}} {{t+|ru|многому́жество|n}}
* Scottish Gaelic: {{t|gd|iol-phòsadh|m}}, {{t|gd|ioma-phòsadh|m}}, {{t|gd|iomnuachadh|m}}
* Serbo-Croatian: {{t+|sh|poligàmija|f}}
* Slovak: {{t|sk|polygamia}}, {{t|sk|mnohoženstvo}}
* Spanish: {{t+|es|poligamia|f}}
* Swedish: {{t+|sv|månggifte|n}}, {{t+|sv|polygami|c}}
* Tagalog: {{t|tl|poligamiya}}
* Turkish: {{t|tr|çokeşlilik}}
* Ukrainian: {{t|uk|поліга́мія|f}}, {{t+|uk|багатошлю́бність|f}}, {{t+|uk|багатоже́нство|n}} {{qualifier|polygyny}}, {{t+|uk|багатому́жжя|n}} {{qualifier|polyandry}}
* Welsh: {{t|cy|amlbriodas|f}}
{{trans-bottom}}

{{trans-see|polygyny}}

{{trans-top|zoology: the state or habit of having more than one mate}}
* Dutch: {{t+|nl|polygamie|f}}
* Finnish: {{t+|fi|polygamia}}
* Hindi: {{t|hi|बहुसंगमन}}
* Japanese: {{t|ja|多婚性|tr=takonsei}}
* Polish: {{t+|pl|poligamia|f}}
{{trans-bottom}}

{{trans-top|botany: the condition or state of a plant which bears both perfect and unisexual flowers}}
* Catalan: {{t|ca|poligàmia}}
* Dutch: {{t+|nl|polygamie|f}}
* Finnish: {{t+|fi|polygamia}}
{{trans-bottom}}

{{checktrans-top}}
* French: {{t+check|fr|polygamie|f}}
* Norwegian: {{t-check|no|flergifte|n}}, {{t-check|no|flerkoneri|n}}, {{t+check|no|polygami|n}}
{{trans-bottom}}

====See also====
* {{l|en|concubine}}
* {{l|en|harem}}, {{l|en|seraglio}}

{{C|en|Family|Marriage|Polyamory}}