Which term describes the practice of having more than one spouse?

Which term describes the practice of having more than one spouse?

• A. Monogamy
• B. Bigamy
• C. Polygamy
• D. Polyandry

Answer: (C)

Having more than one spouse is described by polygamy. This is the general term for marriage to multiple people. Monogamy means one spouse only, so it’s the opposite. Bigamy refers to the illegal act of being married to more than one person at the same time, rather than describing a social practice. Polyandry is a specific form of polygamy where a woman has multiple husbands; polygamy as a whole includes both polygyny (a man with multiple wives) and polyandry. So polygamy is the best, most inclusive term for the practice.

Having more than one spouse is described by polygamy. This is the general term for marriage to multiple people. Monogamy means one spouse only, so it’s the opposite. Bigamy refers to the illegal act of being married to more than one person at the same time, rather than describing a social practice. Polyandry is a specific form of polygamy where a woman has multiple husbands; polygamy as a whole includes both polygyny (a man with multiple wives) and polyandry. So polygamy is the best, most inclusive term for the practice.