Where does “polygamy” come from?
Polygamy comes from Late Latin polygamia, from Ancient Greek πολυγαμία, from the adjective πολύγαμος combining πολύ- (many) and γάμος (marriage), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- (to fill).
polygamy (English): The condition of having more than one spouse or...
Definitions
- The condition of having more than one spouse or...
Ancestry of “polygamy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Late Latin | polygamia | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | πολυγαμία | polygamy |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | πολύγαμος | married to many |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | πολῠ- | many; much, a lot |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πολύς | many, a lot of; neuter πολύ or πολλά as... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | πόρος | a means of passage, passageway, way, opening;... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | πείρω | I pierce, run through; I cleave through |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | *péryō | — |