monogamy
/məˈnɒɡəmi
/noun [mass noun]
1The practice of marrying or state of being married to one person at a time: Judaism has journeyed from polygamy to strict monogamy...
- Sociobiologists would say marriage pattern - whether a society allows polygynous and monogamous marriage, or only monogamy.
- Senegal's 1973 family code obligates grooms to register their intentions at the time of the first marriage - opting for monogamy, limited polygamy with two wives, or full polygamy.
- Serial monogamy is a common marriage pattern and polygyny is practised by a few.
1.1The practice or state of having a sexual relationship with only one partner: AIDS can be contained by monogamy as well as by early sex education younger men were more likely to stray, saying monogamy was outdated...
- Marriage is as much a promise of fiscal partnership as of sexual monogamy.
- In today's society, AIDS is a reality and as such, sexual monogamy should be the rule.
- The more likely explanation is that developmental changes occurred that involved greater solidifying of romantic relationships, making stable monogamy more possible.
1.2 Zoology The habit of having only one mate at a time: monogamy is rare in most animal groups, but is common among birds...
- Indeed, that male often initiates the nest, giving a strong impression of behavioral monogamy.
- Social monogamy is the prevailing mating system in the vast majority of passeriform birds, but there is some variation among lineages.
- In the population of Tasmanian native hens that we studied, monogamy was the most frequent mating pattern, followed by polyandry, with polygyny and polygynandry the least frequent.
Derivatives
monogamist
/ noun ...- Although people are less likely to marry their first sexual partner nowadays, they are often serial monogamists, enjoying one long-term relationship after another.
- Burns himself is great as Tommy, the serial monogamist who's trying to stay ethical against all odds.
- Within the last twelve months, 32 / 23% of the self-defined monogamists had more than one sexual partner.
Origin
Early 17th century: from French monogamie, via ecclesiastical Latin from Greek monogamia, from monos 'single' + gamos 'marriage'.