Polygamy usually takes the form of polygyny – when a man marries multiple women. Polyandry, which refers to wives having more than one husband, is even rarer than polygamy and mostly documented among small and relatively isolated communities around the world.

What does having multiple wives mean?

Polygamy Polygamy is “the practice or condition of having more than one spouse, esp. wife, at one time.” Heres the important part: polygamy refers generally to multiple spouses or multiple marriages, not husbands or wives in particular. The opposite of polygamy is monogamy.

What is polygamy in Islam?

In societies that practice polygamy, the specific type is polygyny, which is having more than one wife (polyandrous unions, of having more than one husband, are much less common). Muslim societies allow for up to four wives, but not without specific rules and regulations.