Polygyny
/pəˈlɪdʒɪni/noun
The practice of having more than one wife at the same time.
Did you know?The term is a scholarly coinage from Greek parts, and its sibling form *polygamy* became the umbrella word for multiple spouses even though the older root simply means “many marriages.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
GR
polygynia
“having many wives”
Late 19th Century
English
polygyny
“the condition or practice of a man having more than one wife at the same time”
Ancient Greek
GR
polys
“many”
Ancient Greek
GR
gynē
“woman, wife”
Explore more surprising origins