noun

• 1The practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time.

  ‘Polyandry (multiple husbands) has recently been abolished; the practice of polygamy is legal provided the first wife grants her consent.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘In 1904 church President Joseph F. Smith presented a second manifesto that disciplined those who continued to practice polygamy or perform plural marriages.’
  • ‘Despite sanctioning of polygamy, the custom was practiced in only one region of the country and currently is not practiced at all.’
  • ‘Mpika is one district in which people still practice polygamy and wife inheritance.’
  • ‘Although historically polygamy was practiced, the marriage system is now monogamous.’
  • ‘Despite the practice of polygamy and men's near-monopoly of religious offices, women have a comfortable social status as they are owners of the conjugal house.’
  • ‘Few could afford polygamous marriages, although polygamy varies both between rural areas and urban centers, and between ethnic groups.’
  • ‘Polygamy has been a prerogative in many societies.’
  • ‘There is already a great deal of precedent since polygamy has been widely practiced throughout history.’
  • ‘The Utah-based Church in the late 19th century banned the practice of taking plural wives and ex-communicates members who practice polygamy.’
  • ‘One in ten women live in polygamous marriages, although the practice of polygamy was banned under the Civil Code of 1926 modeled on the Swiss Civil Code of that time.’
  • ‘Senegal's 1973 family code obligates grooms to register their intentions at the time of the first marriage - opting for monogamy, limited polygamy with two wives, or full polygamy.’
  • ‘The combination of matrilocal residence and polygamy has produced the same effects that it has in the Comoros.’
  • ‘Since polygamy is illegal in the United States, these marriage customs have created a serious problem in some immigrant households.’
  • ‘According to Vietnamese law, arranged marriage and polygamy are illegal.’
  • ‘Born in 1968 in Bamako, the country's capital, Sangare witnessed her mother and other women suffer under the accepted practice of polygamy, and she was determined not to be dictated to by men.’

  1. 1.1Zoology A pattern of mating in which an animal has more than one mate.
     ‘Mating systems characterized by restricted breeding seasons, male polygamy, and female monogamy are common among animals.’
     More example sentences

     • ‘For example, species without care or with uniparental care are expected to show higher levels of polygamy than do species with biparental care.’
     • ‘Evening Grosbeaks are generally monogamous, although when there is an unusually plentiful food supply, polygamy can occur.’
     • ‘While Short-eared Owls are typically monogamous, they form loose colonies and some polygamy may occur.’
     • ‘Northern Mockingbirds are typically monogamous, but polygamy does occur.’
  2. 1.2Botany The condition of bearing some flowers with stamens only, some with pistils only, and some with both, on the same or different plants.
     ‘In plants, polygamy means the co-occurrence and function of monosexual and bisexual individuals in a population.’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Circumstances show that matrimony is something good for people, and circumstances likewise justify polygamy for plants and animals.’