trigamy

Definition

1. Noun:
   • The state or practice of being married to three people at once: "trigamy" refers to the condition of having three spouses simultaneously, or the act of entering into a third marriage while still legally bound to one or two previous spouses. It is a specific form of polygamy (specifically polygyny or polyandry) involving exactly three partners.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • In many jurisdictions, trigamy is considered a criminal offense, similar to bigamy. (The act of having three spouses is illegal.)
  • The anthropologist studied cultures where trigamy was historically practiced as a form of marriage. (The researcher examined societies that allowed three simultaneous spouses.)

Advanced Usage

• "to commit trigamy": to enter into a third marriage while still legally married to one or two other people.

  • He was charged with trigamy after it was discovered he had three wives in different states. (He committed the crime of having three spouses.)

• "trigamous marriage": a marriage involving three spouses.

  • The novel explored the complexities of a trigamous marriage in a fictional society. (A story about a three-spouse union.)

Variants and Related Words

• Trigamous (adj): relating to or involving trigamy.

  • The trigamous relationship was not recognized by the law. (The marriage involving three people was illegal.)

• Trigamist (n): a person who practices or is guilty of trigamy.

  • The trigamist was arrested for fraud and bigamy. (Someone who has three spouses.)

Synonyms

• Polygamy: the practice of having more than one spouse at a time (a broader term; trigamy is a specific type).
• Bigamy: the crime of marrying someone while still legally married to another person (trigamy is an extension of this, involving three spouses).

Related Idioms

• "A third wedding": a colloquial way to refer to trigamy, though not a fixed idiom.
  • His third wedding made him a trigamist. (His marriage to a third person while still married to two others resulted in trigamy.)