menage a trois
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A domestic and sexual arrangement involving three people, specifically a married couple and the lover of one spouse, all cohabiting and sharing intimate relations.
Usage
This term specifically describes a three-person cohabitation with a shared sexual relationship. It is used in social, anthropological, and sometimes legal contexts to describe this particular non-traditional living arrangement. * The scandal revealed they had maintained a ménage à trois for years. * The novel explores the complexities of a ménage à trois.
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used to imply a situation of secrecy, scandal, or sophisticated but complicated relationships.
- It can be used metaphorically to describe any tense or intimate three-way dynamic in business or politics, though this is an extended figurative use.
- The CEO's close relationship with the two rival department heads created a corporate ménage à trois.
Variants and Related Words
- Throuple (n): A more modern, neutral term for a committed romantic relationship between three people, not necessarily implying one pre-existing couple.
- Triad (n): A general term for a group of three, sometimes used to describe a three-person relationship.
- Polyamory (n): The practice of engaging in multiple romantic relationships with the consent of all people involved, which is a broader category that may include a .
Synonyms
- Three-way relationship
- Triangular relationship
- Triadic cohabitation
Notes on Meaning
- The term is borrowed directly from French, meaning "household of three."
- It strongly implies all three individuals live together, distinguishing it from other forms of non-monogamy where partners may live separately.
- The traditional implication is that the third person is a lover added to an existing couple, rather than three individuals forming a relationship simultaneously.
Noun
- household for three; an arrangement where a married couple and a lover of one of them live together while sharing sexual relations