Dictionary

polycule en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈpɑ.li.kjul/ (General-American)
• (General-American) audio
• /ˈpɒ.lɪ.kjuːl/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁-der. Proto-Indo-European *polh₁ús Ancient Greek πολῠ́ς (polŭ́s)lbor. English poly- Proto-Indo-European *h₃emh₃-der. Proto-Italic *amāō Latin amō Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *-ōs Proto-Italic *-ōs Latin -or Latin amor Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Old French -ieder. Middle English -ie Middle English -y English -y English polyamory Latin mōlēs Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Proto-Italic *-kelos Latin -cula New Latin mōlēculalbor. French moléculebor. English molecule blend English polycule Blend of polyamory + molecule. First attested in the 2010s.

Meanings

1. A polyamorous group of individuals connected by their overlapping romantic, sexual, or platonic relationships.
   • The duo and eight others comprising the financial whiz’s inner circle shared a tony penthouse in the Bahamas, a living arrangement that some, including tech mogul Elon Musk, reportedly described as a “polycule”– that is, “a connected network of people and relationships, all of whom are in some way involved emotionally, sexually, or romantically with at least one other person”. [2023 September 30, Victoria Bekiempis, “‘Dark’ donations, free love and the fall: the Sam Bankman-Fried trial is here”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
   • The five of us started calling ourselves a "polycule" back in the fall of 2012, when our relationships and sexual lives were so thoroughly entangled with one another that we looked like several relationship atoms often sharing orbits together. 2015, Julie Fennell, “Polyculous bonds”, in Elisabeth Sheff, editor, Stories from the polycule: Real life in polyamorous families, Portland, OR: Thorntree Press, →ISBN:
   • Unbeknownst to him, Janice had, some three weeks prior, broken up with one of her partners from a polycule in Colorado. 2018, T. J. Thomson, “The Evolution of Story: How Time and Modality Affect Visual and Verbal Narratives Quarterly”, in Visual Communication, volume 25, number 4, →DOI, page 204:
   • Sarah is more reserved, especially when it comes to sharing details about “tender” situations, and she’s also protective of the other members of her polycule. What one part of the polycule says about another could have huge, messy ripple effects throughout the whole group. 2024 January 16, Allison P. Davis, “What Does a Polycule Actually Look Like?”, in New York Magazine:
   • Our polycule doubled in size when my spouse started seeing Boris, whose husband has six other partners.
   • But among all the throuples, polycules and nesting partners, there exists another category of polyamory that still throws many for a loop: solo polyamory, or having concurrent intimate relationships while maintaining independence. 2024 August 2, Gina Cherelus, “You’re ‘Solo Poly’? So … You’re Single?”, in The New York Times:
   • While nonmonogamy doesn't always mean having multiple partners, Ezra's polycule comprises multiple sexual partners. 2018 November 16, Josephine Yurcaba, “Ezra Miller Discussed Polyamory and Past Abuse”, in Teen Vogue, archived from the original on 28 May 2019:

Forms

Deriveds

poly · 'cule

Hyponyms

V structure · throuple · triad · metamour · quad · N structure

Synonyms

constellation · pod

Translations (11)

ka პოლიკულა (polyamorous group) · eo amkonstelacio (polyamorous group) · de Polykül (polyamorous group) · pt polículo (polyamorous group) · nl polycuul (polyamorous group) · fi polykuvio (polyamorous group) · es polículo (polyamorous group) · fi moniskunta (polyamorous group) · he פוליקולה (polyamorous group) · es polícula (polyamorous group) · pt polícula (polyamorous group)