polygamous

[ puh-lig-uh-muhs ]

adjective
  1. of, pertaining to, characterized by, or practicing polygamy; polygamic.

  2. Botany. bearing both unisexual and hermaphrodite flowers on the same or on different plants of the same species.

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Origin of polygamous

1
From the Greek word polýgamos, dating back to 1605–15. See poly-, -gamous

Other words from polygamous

  • po·lyg·a·mous·ly, adverb

Words Nearby polygamous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use polygamous in a sentence

  • If you have someone who has lived a polygamous life, that would raise questions about their character and ability to obey the law.

  • Some of those polygamous seamstresses may have grown up with Heber Holm.

    Polygamy Tourism | Terry Greene Sterling | November 8, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Such a lot of fuss is made in the world by ignoring the great fact that man is by nature both gregarious and polygamous.

    The Way of a Man | Emerson Hough
  • It only shows how fascinating you are with the polygamous sex.

    Four Days | Hetty Hemenway
  • Each herd was ruled by a polygamous monarch of the plains—a great chieftain elk!

  • They are polygamous, associating in herds of a considerable size under the guidance of a single leader.

  • They do not pair, but mate in small polygamous families—one male with from two to four females.

    Our Domestic Birds | John H. Robinson