polyphasic

[ pol-ee-fey-zik ]

adjective

1. having more than two phases.
2. habitually doing more than one thing at a time:

   a polyphasic personality.

Word History and Origins

Origin of polyphasic¹

First recorded in 1920–25; polyphase + -ic

Example Sentences

Some have pushed polyphasic sleep as a way to “biohack” the body and extend waking hours.

From National Geographic

Some skeptics of the natural polyphasic sleep theory point to contradictory evidence found among modern hunter-gatherer populations.

From National Geographic

Niall Boyce, an English professor at the University of London, argued that polyphasic sleep may not necessarily have been the norm.

From National Geographic

Whether polyphasic sleep exists among modern humans is also up for debate.

From National Geographic

Tricking the body into surviving on shorter spurts of sleep is not the same as waking naturally from well-rested slumber, says Elizabeth Klerman, who co-authored a 2021 paper with Foster analyzing the impacts of artificial polyphasic sleep.

From National Geographic