Polygamy

Polygamy refers to having multiple spouses in a marriage (one-to-many).

Types of polygamy

Gender-based variations of these two include:

• Polyandry: A person with multiple male spouses
• Polygyny: A person with multiple female spouses

Humans are a moderately polygynous species. For this reason polygamy is much more common, and polyandry in fact very rare, hence most polygamy is actually polygyny.

Other related concepts

Polyamory refers to having multiple romantic/sexual partners of any sex, but not necessarily in a formal marriage (in fact such unions are not legally accepted as marriages), with potentially multiple men and women forming a sexually active union (many-to-many or one-to-many).

Polyamory is multiple loves, there may or may not be a marriage. Polygamy is multiple marriages, there may or may not be love.

—Joreth Innkeeeper

Monogamy refers to a "heteronormative" (i.e. normal male-female) one-to-one union.

See also

• Monogamy