johnjohn320
Diamond Member
I realized people used them interchangeably almost so I looked them up. Bigamy is marrying one person while still married to another, polygamy is marrying more than one person at a time. So what's the difference?
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What's the difference between bigamy and polygamy?
- Thread starter johnjohn320
- Start date
hmm..does it have anything to do with legality I wonder?
some cultures allow polygamy whre you are allowed to have multiple wives. But you never hear of bigamy being allowed..do you? Isn't that more like you illegaly marry the second and one doesn't know of the other. Or am I reading too much into it..and bi=2 and poly=more than 2?
some cultures allow polygamy whre you are allowed to have multiple wives. But you never hear of bigamy being allowed..do you? Isn't that more like you illegaly marry the second and one doesn't know of the other. Or am I reading too much into it..and bi=2 and poly=more than 2?
thirtythree
Diamond Member
I think you're reading into it too much.
Woodchuck2000
Golden Member
You're reading into it too much... I don't think there are any cultures that allow either one or two wives - It tends to be either just one, or as many as you like, hence Monogamy or Polygamy.
Brutuskend
Lifer
Sh!t, ONE woman is enough trouble.
Who in their right mind would want TWO or more.
Unless they are rich, or have huge racks or BOTH! 😉
Who in their right mind would want TWO or more.
Unless they are rich, or have huge racks or BOTH! 😉
Skyclad1uhm1
Lifer
1 for the kitchen, 1 for cleaning the house, 2 for the bedroom 😉
"I realized people used them interchangeably almost so I looked them up. Bigamy is marrying one person while still married to another, polygamy is marrying more than one person at a time. So what's the difference?"
Here's the difference as far as my understanding: One constitutes illegal marriage, whilst the other doesn't.
A bigamist exists in a society where there is limit set to how many wives you can have at one time. If he exceeds the limit, then he's considered a bigamist. It's just a legal language. Often a bigamist exists in a society that condones the nuclear family image (translates to monogamy). Hence, more than one is unacceptable. It's hard for him to sneak through the system and exceed two wives, but it does happen. The term isn't limited to just two wives, even though the etymology refers to two.
On the other hand, polygamy is just a classification with no restrictions, except that one has more than one spouse. Polygamy does not entail an illegal marriage, unlike bigamy that automatically entails an illegal marriage.
Here's the difference as far as my understanding: One constitutes illegal marriage, whilst the other doesn't.
A bigamist exists in a society where there is limit set to how many wives you can have at one time. If he exceeds the limit, then he's considered a bigamist. It's just a legal language. Often a bigamist exists in a society that condones the nuclear family image (translates to monogamy). Hence, more than one is unacceptable. It's hard for him to sneak through the system and exceed two wives, but it does happen. The term isn't limited to just two wives, even though the etymology refers to two.
On the other hand, polygamy is just a classification with no restrictions, except that one has more than one spouse. Polygamy does not entail an illegal marriage, unlike bigamy that automatically entails an illegal marriage.
loup garou
Lifer
WTF are people going into depth with this, it's simple, as fatbaby stated:
bi = 2
poly = 2 or more
bi = 2
poly = 2 or more
No it's not, Werk. That's a misinterpretation. One entails illegality and the other doesn't! Check your dictionary.
Amused
Elite Member
Yep, Neither is determined by how many wives one has.
Bigamy: You have more than one wife, and neither they nor the law know about each other.
There have been MANY legal cases in which con men have married dozens of women, all within a few years of each other and all without knowledge of the other wives, and have been charged with breaking bigamy laws.
Polygamy: you have more than one wife, and they know about each other.
e.g., a harem or classic mormon family
Dictionary:
Main Entry: big·a·my
Pronunciation: 'bi-g&-mE
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English bigamie, from Medieval Latin bigamia, from Latin bi- + Late Latin -gamia -gamy
Date: 13th century
: the act of entering into a marriage with a person while still legally married to another
Main Entry: po·lyg·a·my
Pronunciation: -mE
Function: noun
Date: circa 1591
1 : marriage in which a spouse of either sex may have more than one mate at the same time
Bigamy: You have more than one wife, and neither they nor the law know about each other.
There have been MANY legal cases in which con men have married dozens of women, all within a few years of each other and all without knowledge of the other wives, and have been charged with breaking bigamy laws.
Polygamy: you have more than one wife, and they know about each other.
e.g., a harem or classic mormon family
Dictionary:
Main Entry: big·a·my
Pronunciation: 'bi-g&-mE
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English bigamie, from Medieval Latin bigamia, from Latin bi- + Late Latin -gamia -gamy
Date: 13th century
: the act of entering into a marriage with a person while still legally married to another
Main Entry: po·lyg·a·my
Pronunciation: -mE
Function: noun
Date: circa 1591
1 : marriage in which a spouse of either sex may have more than one mate at the same time
loup garou
Lifer
I was going by etymology. Not my fault if the law uses the word incorrectly.
loup garou
Lifer
I believe their common usage is a bit more accurate. Without-god and without-knowledge are apt descriptions of athiests and agnostics, respectively. My point is, if you are going to charge someone who has three wives, you should charge them with polygamy, not bigamy. Using the word bigamy to describe that situation just doesn't make sense. Or maybe I'm just anal. 😛
Amused
Elite Member
No, common usage has transformed the words to meet the descriptions I gave above. Bigamy is usually the act of marrying more than one spouse without their knowledge of each other... and polygamy is the act of marrying more than one spouse and they all know of each other. One is a con, the other, Mormon 😉
In reality, these definitions are MUCH more useful.
Doh, Werk! You finally realised you were wrong or not pragmatic?
😛
Anyway, if you believe this dictionary, it says "several" statutes in US describe the crime as polygamy: Bigamy. I never trust Webster's Dictionary, but I don't think it's the job of the dictionary to define what's correct about a legal term. Hopefully this dictionary calms you down as far as agreement, though. 😉
The reason for the distinction, I think, is simple: Polygamy never entailed illegality because in some countries of the present and in many societies of the past, polygamy was legal. If you give it that definition, then you start to make it seem criminal in all societies. On the other hand, bigamy gives a distinct meaning and associates the term with crime. And I suppose when people were charged for crimes of this nature, they perhaps had just one extra wife--not multiple. However, things have progressed, so it no longer carries the bi meaning.
Anyway, if you believe this dictionary, it says "several" statutes in US describe the crime as polygamy: Bigamy. I never trust Webster's Dictionary, but I don't think it's the job of the dictionary to define what's correct about a legal term. Hopefully this dictionary calms you down as far as agreement, though. 😉
The reason for the distinction, I think, is simple: Polygamy never entailed illegality because in some countries of the present and in many societies of the past, polygamy was legal. If you give it that definition, then you start to make it seem criminal in all societies. On the other hand, bigamy gives a distinct meaning and associates the term with crime. And I suppose when people were charged for crimes of this nature, they perhaps had just one extra wife--not multiple. However, things have progressed, so it no longer carries the bi meaning.
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