***This is by no means an exclusive list, but more of an overview of
terms you might come across while learning about polyamorous relationships***
ABUNDANT LOVE:
The
belief or philosophy that it is possible to love more than one person at the
same time.
ADULT BUFFET:
A
specific type of group sex in which a group of consenting adults gets together
for the purpose of sex, and each person in the group is free to have sex with
any of the other members of the group he or she
chooses. Usage: Originated with the swinging community;
uncommon outside it.
ALT.POLYCON (APC):
A
long-running annual convention of polyamorous people and people
interested in polyamory, organized by the members of the UseNet
newsgroup alt.polyamory and featuring a series of workshops, lectures, and so
forth.
APC (acronym):
See alt.polycon.
ASEXUAL:
One who
has little or no desire for sex or sexuality. Commentary: Asexuality
should not be confused with lack of interest in romantic relationships.
Asexuals can and do form romantic relationships, though those relationships may
include little or no sex.
BIGAMY: (Literally, bi two
+ gamos marriage)
Relationship
in which one person is married to two spouses, regardless of the sex
of those spouses.
BIPOLY:
A person
who is both bisexual and polyamorous.
BI POLY SWITCH:
A person
who is bisexual and polyamorous and who is a BDSM switch,
capable of taking on a dominant or submissive role.
BISEXUAL:
A person
who is sexually attracted to or sexually active with partners of both
sexes. See related hot bi babe.
BODY FLUID MONOGAMY:
The
practice of limiting any activity which involves the exchange of bodily fluids,
including such activities as unprotected sexual intercourse, to only one
partner.
CANDAULISM:
Sexual
arousal from watching one’s spouse have sex with or engage in sexual
activity with another person.
CELLULAR FAMILY:
A family
of three or more adults (and optionally children) who live together or near one
another, share responsibility for joint finances and/or domestic
responsibilities, and consider themselves to be part of a single family.
CHEATING:
In a
relationship, any activity that violates the rules or agreements of that
relationship, whether tacit or explicit. Commentary: In
traditional monogamous relationships, any sexual activity with anyone
outside that relationship is generally viewed as cheating. In
a polyamorous or swinging relationship, sexual activity
with people outside the relationship may or may not be seen
as cheating, depending on the context of that sexual activity and
whether or not it violates the agreements of the people in that relationship.
Even in such relationships, most commonly sexual activity without the knowledge
and explicit consent of the other members of the relationship is likely to be
viewed as cheating.
CLOSED MARRIAGE:
Any marriages where
there is no emotional intimacy or sexuality outside the
marriage; monogamous marriage. Contrast open
marriage. Commentary: This is the most common form of marriage in
most Western countries.
CLOSED GROUP MARRIAGE:
A polyfidelitous relationship
in which all the members consider themselves to be married. See
related group marriage.
CLOSED-GROUP SWINGING:
A form
of swinging in which people will have multiple sexual partners within
a specific group (as, for example, two couples who will swap partners), but
will not have sex with people outside the group. A closed-group
swinging relationship can look very similar to
a polyfidelitous relationship from the outside; the primary
difference between them often being the focus of the relationship (sexual vs.
romantic) rather than the form of the relationship. See also friends-first
swinging.
CLOSED RELATIONSHIP:
Any
romantic relationship, such as a conventional monogamous relationship
or a polyfidelitous relationship, that specifically excludes the
possibility of sexual or romantic connections outside that relationship.
CLOSED SWINGING:
A practice
in which a group of swingers will exchange partners and then have sex
separately, usually in separate rooms; swinging without group
sex. Contrast open swinging. Usage: Common in
the swinging community; uncommon outside it.
CLUSTER MARRIAGE:
A polyamorous relationship
in which two or more married couples cohabitate and exchange
partners. See group marriage; See related intentional
family, co-spouse, co-husband, co-wife.
CROSS-COUPLE:
Of or
relating to activities between a member of one couple and a member of another
couple; as, for example, cross-couple relationship, a relationship
between one person who is part a couple and a second person who is part of
another couple.
COMPERSION:
A
feeling of joy when a partner invests in and takes pleasure from another
romantic or sexual relationship. Commentary: Compersion can be
thought of as the opposite of “jealousy;” it is a positive emotional reaction
to a lover’s other relationship. The term was coined by the Kerista
Commune.
CONDOM CONTRACT; also CONDOM COMPACT, CONDOM
COMMITMENT:
A formal
agreement within a relationship to confine exchange of bodily fluids and
barrier-free sexual contact to the people in that relationship, each of whom
has previously been screened for sexually transmitted diseases. Condom contracts may
specify under what conditions a member of that group may exchange body fluids
or have sexual contact without barriers with a new partner, or may specify that
such contact is not permissible with any new partner.
CO-HABITATE; also, COHABITATE:
To live
together. Cohabitating: the state or practice of living together.
CO-HUSBAND:
A man in
a group marriage who shares a spouse in common with at
least one other man in that group marriage. See
also co-wife, co-spouse.
CO-PRIMARY:
A person
who is one of two or more primary partners in
a polyamorous relationship, as Bob and Joe are my co-primaries.
See also primary/secondary; See
related secondary, tertiary.
CORPORATE MARRIAGE:
A group
marriage whose members register the union as a legal corporation, the
terms of which spell out the financial entanglements and obligations of all the
members.
CO-SPOUSE:
A person
in a group marriage who shares a spouse in common with
another person in that group marriage. See
also metamour, co-husband, co-wife.
COUPLE PRIVALEGE:
The presumption that the socially sanctioned paired people in the relationship (often long term partners) are inherently more important, "real", and valid. Therefore they get the final say about the particular topic or decision at hand.
CO-WIFE:
A woman
in a group marriage who shares a spouse in common with at
least one other woman in that group marriage. See
also co-husband, co-spouse.
COVENANT MARRIAGE:
Legal A marriage which
includes a legally-binding clause in the marriage contract specifying
that the couple cannot divorce, or cannot divorce
easily. Commentary: Only a handful of states in the United States
recognize covenant marriage provisions.
COWBOY:
Colloquial A monogamous man
who engages in a relationship with a polyamorous woman with the
intention of separating her from any other partners and bringing her into
a monogamous relationship.
CUPCAKE PARTY:
Colloquial A
gathering, usually involving only women and most often in a private residence,
in which a group of people gather to explore their sexuality, discuss sex,
experiment with sex toys, and so on. Etymology: The hostess of
a cupcake party often provides refreshments, hence the name.
CYCLIC MONOGAMY: 1
A
relationship in which a person has several partners, and spends a set period of
time with each partner, during which time he is sexually involved only with
that partner. Generally speaking, these
partners do not know about one another, and each believes that the relationship
is monogamous, though this is not always so; in some cases, some or
all of the partners know of the existence of the other partners.
DADT (acronym):
See don’t
ask, don’t tell.
DELTA:
A triad, relationship,
specifically a triad in which each person is sexually and/or
emotionally involved with all the other people. .
DEMOCRATIC FAMILY:
A
family, typically a family practicing group marriage, in which all the
adult partners are considered equal.
DOMESTIC GROUP:
A group
of people, often but not always related by birth or marriage, who live together
and practice joint control over the household and group property.
DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL (DADT):
A
relationship structure in which a person who is partnered is permitted to have
additional sexual or romantic relationships on the condition that his or her
partner does not know anything about those additional relationships and does
not meet any of those other people. Commentary: Many people in
the polyamorous community frown on don’t ask, don’t
tell relationships, and choose not to become involved in such
relationships. There are many dangers in such relationships, including the idea
that a person who claims to be involved in such a relationship may simply
be cheating (as the relationship often provides no mechanism by which
that person’s partner may be contacted to confirm that the relationship permits
other relationships); the fact that many people
choose DADT relationships as a way of avoiding and not dealing with
emotional issues such as jealousy; and the fact
that DADT relationships are built on a foundation of lack of communication
within the existing relationship.
DYAD:
A
relationship involving exactly two people. ..
ETHICAL SLUT:
A person
who openly chooses to have multiple simultaneous sexual relationships in an
ethical and responsible way, and who openly revels in that decision.
EXCLUSION JEALOUSY:
A fear,
which may be irrational, of being neglected or abandoned by a lover,
particularly if that lover takes another partner or expresses sexual or
romantic interest in another.
EXCLUSIVE RELATIONSHIP:
Any
relationship which does not permit its partners to seek other romantic or
sexual partners at will; as, for example,
a polyfidelitous relationship or a monogamous relationship.
EXPANDED FAMILY:
See intentional
family.
FLUID BONDING:
Of or
related to practices which involve the exchange of bodily fluids, such as barrier-free
sexual intercourse. See related condom contract.
FOUR-CORNERED MARRIAGE:
A group
marriage with exactly four adult members; usually but not always
a group marriage with two men and two women. See related quad. Etymology: The
term “four-cornered marriage” is often attributed to Robert Heinlein.
FREE AGENT:
A person
who practices polyamory in a way that tends to separate or isolate
all of his or her romantic relationships from one another, treating each as a
separate entity. A free agent often presents himself or herself as
“single” or behaves in ways that are typically associated with the
behavior of a single person even when he or she has romantic partners, and
often does not consider the potential impact of new relationships upon existing
relationships when deciding whether or not to pursue those new relationships.
FREEMATE:
A
non-married partner in a group relationship.
FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS (FWB):
A
relationship in which two (or more) people establish a friendship
that includes sex or sexual activity, but without romantic love and
typically without the same type or degree of expectations or other practical or
emotional entanglements that typically accompany romantic relationships.
FUCKBUDDY:
See friends
with benefits.
FWB (ACRONYM):
See friends
with benefits.
GEOGRAPHICAL NON-MONOGAMY:
Any
relationship or arrangement whose partners permit one another to have other
sexual partners while they are physically apart, as for example a relationship in
which one person takes a temporary position in another town or is assigned
overseas for a time. Usually carries an implicit understanding that when the
couple is physically together again, the relationship will
become monogamous. See related hundred-mile rule.
GROUP MARRIAGE:
A
relationship in which three or more people consider
themselves married to one another; in
the polyamory community, most often a relationship involving more
than one man and more than one woman, who may live together, share finances,
raise children together, and otherwise share those responsibilities normally
associated with marriage. A group marriage is not
recognized by and has no legal standing within most Western countries, but may
have symbolic or emotional value to the people involved. Many people who
believe in group marriage may create civil contracts and other
legally binding business arrangements that specify the type and extent of
financial commitments within the marriage, or even form a legal corporation
that defines the marriage. See related corporate
marriage, cluster
marriage, polygamy, polyandry, polygyny, troika.
HANDFASTING:
A Pagan
or Wiccan ceremony similar to marriage in the sense that it unites
two people in a common bond, but dissimilar to a traditional Western marriage in
that it does not necessarily convey sexual exclusivity and may not be intended
to be permanent (some handfasting ceremonies last “for a year and a
day,” others for “as long as the love shall last”). A handfasting is
not legally recognized as a marriage unless the person performing
the handfasting is authorized to perform marriages in a particular
jurisdiction (requirements for such authorization vary from place to place) and
the other legal requirements of marriage are
met. Commentary: Handfasting ceremonies are not directly related
to polyamory; however, some people, particularly those involved with
Wiccan or neo-Pagan spirituality or beliefs, may combine the two. While not all
Pagans are polyamorous and not all polyamorous people are
Pagan, there is enough overlap between the communities that
some polyamorous people practice handfasting as an
emotional or spiritual symbol of their relationships and commitment.
HARD SWINGER:
A swinger who
has sexual intercourse or engages in other sexual activity with other swingers
outside of his or her existing relationship. Usage: Common in
the swinging community, but uncommon in
the polyamorous community. Contrast soft swinger.
HBB (Acronym):
Colloquial;
see hot bi babe.
HINGE:
Colloquial;
see pivot.
HOT BI BABE (HBB):
A bisexual person,
usually though not always female, who is willing to join an existing couple,
often with the presumption that this person will date and become sexually
involved with both members of that couple, and not demand anything or do
anything which might cause problems or inconvenience to that couple. The term
is often used to be dismissive of a couple seen to be only superficially
polyamorous, as They’re just looking for a hot bi babe. More often referred to as a unicorn.
HOTWIFE; also, HOT WIFE:
A
married woman who takes male lovers outside the marriage, often in the context
of swinging.
HUNDRED-MILE RULE:
An
arrangement within a nominally monogamous marriage or
relationship, particularly a marriage in which one of the partners
travels a great deal or is often away from home for extended periods of time,
which says that sexual dalliances that occur during the course of these
travels or over a certain distance from the home don’t “really” count and hence
aren’t cheating. See related don’t ask, don’t tell.
INTENTIONAL FAMILY:
A family made up of people who have consciously and
deliberately chosen to consider one another as a single family, as opposed to
family that is the result of birth or marriage (i.e.,
family in law). See related cluster
marriage, polyamory, group
marriage. Usage: Most often used to describe a family of three or
more adults.
INTIMATE NETWORK:
The sum
total of a person’s partners, those partners’ partners, and so
on. Usage: The term “intimate network” is most often used to describe
the set of romantic and sexual relationships and friendships involved in
a polyamorous relationship structure that is not closed; that is, the
term intimate network is not often used to describe
a polyfidelitous relationship or a closed group
marriage, though it can be. The term is also sometimes used in a way that
includes people who are close friends, but are not necessarily romantically or
sexually involved, with a person or that person’s partners.
KEY PARTY:
A
specific type of play party (Def. 1), usually attended by couples, in
which each male deposits his keys into a container as he arrives. As the guests
leave, each female draws a set of keys at random from the container, then goes
home with the male to which they belong that night. Usage: A key
party is typically a swinger event.
LDR (acronym):
See long-distance relationship.
LESBIAN SHEEPITUDE:
A term
used to describe a situation where one person has a romantic or sexual interest
in another person, which may be reciprocated, but neither of them indicates
this interest or makes the first move.
LIFE PARTNER:
A
partner, usually a romantic and sexual partner, with whom one has the intent of
a long-lasted and intertwined committed relationship.
LONG-DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP (LDR):
A
relationship in which the people involved do not live together, and are
separated by great distances; as, for example, partners who live in different
cities, in different states, or even in different countries.
LOVER-IN-LAW:
1. A
partner of one’s partner; metamour. 2. The biological family of one’s
partner.
LOVE TRIANGLE:
1. See triad.
LOVE QUADRANGLE:
See quad.
LOVESTYLE:
See relationship
orientation.
MARIAGE Á TROIS:
(Literally,
French, marriage of three) A marriage involving exactly three people,
in which one person is married to two partners. See
related triad, vee. Usage: Most commonly used
in situations in which one man is married to two women.
MENAGE Á TROIS:
(Literally, French, house of three) 1. Sexual activity involving three people. see triad
METAMOUR:
(Literally, meta with;
about + amor love): The partner of one’s partner, with whom one does
not share a direct sexual or loving relationship. See related vee.
MOLECULE:
Used
to describe a set or subset of polyamorous relationships, such as a triad,
vee or quad, or a complete romantic network. See also polycule.
MONOGAMY:
The
state or practice of having only one wedded spouse at a time, or more
generally, having only one sexual partner or only one romantic relationship at
a time.
MONO/POLY:
Colloquial;
see poly/mono.
MULTILATERAL MARRIAGE:
See group
marriage.
MOST SIGNIFICANT OTHER (MSO):
A
person’s primary partner in a
hierarchical primary/secondary relationship.
MSO (acronym):
See most
significant other.
N:
Colloquial A polyamorous relationship
involving four people, generally two couples where one member of one couple is
also involved sexually and/or romantically with one member of the other
couple. See also quad; See related triad, vee.
NEW RELATIONSHIP ENERGY (NRE):
A
strong, almost giddy feeling of excitement and infatuation common in the
beginning of any new romantic relationship.
NRE (acronym):
See new
relationship energy.
NRE JUNKIE:
A term
sometimes applied, often dismissively, to a person who starts many new
relationships in rapid succession but does not seem to maintain relationships
for very long. Such a person may appear to seek out the euphoria and intense
emotion associated with new relationship energy over the maintenance
of a long-term relationship.
OLD RELATIONSHIP ENERGY (ORE):
The
feeling of comfort, security, and stability often associated with a
long-standing romantic relationship. Contrast new relationship
energy.
ONE PENIS POLICY:
An
arrangement within a polyamorous relationship in which a man is
allowed to have multiple female partners, each of whom is allowed to have sex
with other women but forbidden to have any other male partners.
ONE VAGINA POLICY:
An arrangement within a polyamorous relationship in which a woman is allowed to have multiple male partners, each of whom is allowed to have sex with other men but forbidden to have any other female partners.
OPEN MARRIAGE:
Any marriage whose
structures or arrangements permit one or both of the members involved to have
outside sexual relationships, outside romantic relationships, or both.
OPEN NETWORK:
A
relationship structure in which the people involved are free to add new
partners as they choose
OPEN RELATIONSHIP:
1.
Any relationship that is not sexually monogamous. 2. Any relationship that
permits “outside” sexual entanglements, but not loving or romantic
relationships.
OPEN SWINGING:
A
practice in which a group of swingers will exchange partners and then
have sex together in the same room; sometimes but not always assumes group sex.
ORE (acronym):
See old
relationship energy.
OTHER SIGNIFICANT OTHER (OSO):
1. A
partner’s other partner; metamour. 2. A person’s partner, sometimes
but not always a non-primary or non-spouse partner
OPP (acronym):
See one
penis policy.
OVP (acronym):
See one vagina policy.
PANSEXUAL:
PARAMOUR:
(literally, par way
+ amor love; by way of love) 1. A married person’s outside
lover. 2. A mistress—the unmarried female lover of a married man. 3. A
nonmarried member of a polyamorous relationship. See
related other significant other.
PIVOT:
In
a vee relationship, the person who has two partners.
PLATONIC RELATIONSHIP:
A
close, emotionally intimate relationship in which there is no sex or physical
intimacy.
POLY:
Of
or related to polyamory; as, a poly relationship, a poly person.
POLYAMORY:
(Literally, poly many
+ amor love) The state or practice of maintaining multiple
sexual and/or romantic relationships simultaneously, with the full knowledge
and consent of all the people involved. Polyamorous: of or related to
the practice of polyamory, as in polyamorous
relationship: a relationship involving more than two people, or open to
involvement by more than two people; polyamorous person: a person who
prefers or is open to romantic relationships with more than one partner
simultaneously.
POLYANDRY:
(Literally, poly many
+ andros man) The state or practice of having multiple wedded
husbands at the same time.
POLYCULE:
A
romantic network, or a particular subset of relationships within a
romantic network, whose members are closely connected. Also used to
describe a sketch or visualization of a romantic network, as these drawings often
resemble the depiction of molecules used in organic chemistry.
POLYFAMILY:
1. A set
of polyamorous people who live together and identify as part of the
same family. 2. A polyamorous group whose members consider one
another to be family, regardless of whether or not they share a home.
POLYFI:
Colloquial;
see polyfidelity.
POLYFIDELITY:
(Literally, poly many
+ fidelitas faithfulness) A romantic or sexual relationship which
involves more than two people, but which does not permit the members of that
relationship to seek additional partners outside the relationship, at least
without the approval and consent of all the existing members.
POLYFUCKERY:
A coarse
term sometimes used to describe people who call themselves “polyamorous” while
engaging in a large number of sexual relationships which are short-lived or not
emotionally intimate;
POLY/MONO; also, MONO/POLY:
Of or
relating to a relationship between a person who self-identifies
as polyamorous and a person who self-identifies as monogamous.
POLYSATURATED:
A person
who is polyamorous, but not currently open to new relationships or new partners
because of the number of existing partners, or because of time constraints
that might make new relationships difficult.
POLYSEXUAL:
Of or
related to relationships which are sexually non-monogamous but which are
not emotionally intimate.
POLYUNSATURATED:
A
polyamorous person who is currently seeking or open to new partners.
POLYWOG:
A child
in a polyamororous household, often used as a humorous term.
PRIMARY/SECONDARY:
A polyamorous relationship
structure in which a person has multiple partners who are not equal to one
another in terms of interconnection, emotional intensity, intertwinement in
practical or financial matters, or power within the relationship. A person in
a primary/secondary relationship may have one (or occasionally, more
than one) primary partner and one or more
additional secondary or tertiary partners.
A primary/secondary relationship may be “prescriptive” (that is,
a primary couple consciously and deliberately creates a set of rules
whereby any additional partners are secondary, often because this is
seen as a mechanism which will protect the existing relationship from harm
caused by additional relationships) or it may be “descriptive,” and emerge from
the nature and the situation of the relationship.See
related tertiary, veto.
PRIMARY:
In
a primary/secondary relationship, the person (or persons) in the
relationship with the highest degree of involvement or entanglement, or sometimes
the person accorded the most importance.
PUPPY-PILE POLY:
Polyamorous relationships
in which all the people involved are to some degree physically and/or
romantically involved with one another, with the implication that the people
involved may share sex and/or sleeping space (hence, “all in one puppy pile”).
QUAD:
A polyamorous relationship
involving four people, each of whom may or may not be sexually and emotionally
involved with all the other members. See related N.
RELATIONSHIP ANARCHY:
A philosophy
or practice in which people are seen as free to engage in any relationships
they choose, spontaneity and freedom are desirable and necessary traits in
healthy relationships, no relationship should be entered into or restricted
from a sense of duty or obligation, any relationship choice is (or should be)
allowable, and in which there is not necessarily a clear distinction between
“partner” and “non-partner.”
RELATIONSHIP ORIENTATION:
A
preference for sexual or loving relationships of a particular form
RESPONSIBLE NON-MONOGAMY:
Any
relationship that is not sexually and/or emotionally exclusive by the
explicit agreement and with the full knowledge of all the parties
involved. Responsible non-monogamy can take several forms, the two
most common of which are polyamory and swinging, and is
distinct from cheating in that everyone involved knows about and
agrees to the activity. Responsible non-monogamy often explicitly
spells out the conditions under which it is permissible for one person to take
on additional partners, and often includes some form of safer-sex agreement
such as a condom contract as well.
SAFE-SEX CIRCLE:
See condom
contract.
SECONDARY:
In
a primary/secondary relationship, the person (or persons) in the
relationship who, either by intent or by circumstance, have a relationship
that is given less in terms of time, energy, and priority in a person’s
life than a primary relationship, and usually involves fewer ongoing
commitments such as plans or financial/legal involvements. A secondary relationship
may be secondary as a result of a conscious decision on the part of
the primary partners, or simply as a result of circumstance or the
natural development of the relationship. See related tertiary.
SAPIOSEXUAL:
Of or
related to sexual attraction to people based on their intelligence.
SECONDARY SIGNIFICANT OTHER:
A
romantic partner other than one’s primary partner
or spouse. Usage: Used almost completely within the context
of primary/secondary relationships.
SERIAL MONOGAMY:
A
relationship pattern in which a person has only one sexual or romantic partner
at a time, but has multiple sexual or romantic partners in a lifetime, and may
change partners frequently.
SIGNIFICANT OTHER:
A
romantic partner.
SOFT SWINGER:
A swinger who
has sexual intercourse or engages in other sexual activity only with his or her
partner, but may do so at a swing club, or in the presence of
other swingers. Occasionally, soft swingers may engage in
some limited form of sexual activities, often stopping short of sexual intercourse,
with partners outside the existing relationship.
SPICE:
The
plural of spouse, often considered humorous.
SPOUSE:
A
person’s husband or wife.
SSO (acronym):
See secondary
significant other.
SWING CLUB:
1. A
place where swingers meet to socialize or engage in recreational sex.
2. A social organization for swingers. See related friends-first
swinging, closed-group swinging.
SWINGER:
A person
who engages in swinging.
SWINGING:
The
practice of having multiple sexual partners outside of an existing romantic
relationship, most often with the understanding that the focus of those
relationships is primarily sexual rather than romantic or emotionally
intimate.
SWITCH:
A person
capable of being happy in either a monogamous or
a polyamorous relationship.
SWOLLY:
A person
who identifies as both polyamorous and also as a swinger.
TERTIARY:
A person
(or persons) in a relationship that is generally quite casual, expects
little in the way of emotional or practical support, or is very limited with
respect to time, energy, or priority in the lives of the people involved.
TOCOTOX (acronym):
Too
Complicated To Explain. Often used as a form of shorthand, particularly in
online conversations, when the various interrelationships between the people in
a polyamorous relationship can’t be described easily.
TRIAD:
1.
A polyamorous relationship composed of three people. 2. A union or
group of three. .
TROILISM:
Sexual
activity involving exactly three people; either in the form of three people
simultaneously engaging in sexual activity, or in the form of one person
watching while two others have sex. See related ménage à trois
TROUPLE:
see triad.
UNICORN:
see hot
bi babe. Usage: Almost always used of a hypothetical woman who is
willing to date both members of an existing couple, agree not to have any
relationships other than the ones with the couple, agree not to be sexually
involved with one member of the couple unless the other member of the couple is
also there, and/or agree to move in with the couple. So named because people
willing to agree to such arrangements are vanishingly rare, whereas couples
looking for a woman who will agree to these terms are incredibly common.
VEE:
Colloquial A polyamorous relationship
involving three people, in which one person is romantically or sexually
involved with two partners who are not romantically or sexually involved with
each other. See also triad, pivot; See
related quad, N.
VETO:
A
relationship agreement, most common in
prescriptive primary/secondaryrelationships, which gives one person the
power to end another person’s additional relationships, or in some cases to
disallow some specific activity.
WIBBLE:
A
feeling of insecurity, typically temporary or fleeting, when seeing a partner
being affectionate with someone else.
