Glossary of Relationship Terms

Marriage, Love Relationships

& Polykoity

By

Norman Elliott Anderson

P - Q

Table of Contents
Introduction
- A -	- H -	O	U
- B -	- I -	- P -	- V -
- C -	J	Q	W
- D -	K	- R -	X
- E -	- L -	- S-Si -	Y
F	- M -	- Sk-Sz -	Z
- G -	- N -	- T -	©
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P.A.:

1. Personal attachment (q.v.).

2. Pleasing appendage (q.v.).

Comment: In the above senses, the abbreviation is sometimes used as a pun on the abbreviation for "personal assistant."

paederast:

See pederast.

pair, as in "a pair":

1. Two persons or objects somehow associated and set off from other persons or objects.

2. A couple; two people in a relationship together, whether a love relationship, an engagement, or a marriage.

See also celebrity couple, couple, duet, duo, dyad, power couple, twosome.

pair, as in "to pair":

To form couples; to form a pattern of twos.

See also assortive mating, pair off.

pair-bonding:

The development of an emotional attachment of two people to each other.

See also bond, in love, love.

pair dating:

1. Engaging, as a couple, in social encounters with other people, whether they are single, couples, or a number of individuals in a group relationship, especially such encounters that are meant to explore whether either sexual activity or a love relationship could eventuate.

2. The practice of the foregoing.

See also alternative dating, date, double-date, group sex, new adultery, open couple, open marriage, open relationship, polyamory, swing, triangular dating.

pairing family:

A family (q.v.) formed by the joining of a man and a woman in a non-sexually-exclusive relationship that can be freely terminated by either party.

See also marriage, sexual exclusivity, syndyasmian family, temporary marriage.

pair off:

To form distinct couples; to form from within a pattern of twos.

Comment: When the term is used in reference to a group of people, it often has specific reference to sexual pairing.

"To pair off" emphasizes separation more than does "to pair."

See also pair.

Quotation from Armistead Maupin Illustrating "Pairing Off"
Michael [Toliver] noticed how many [gay] couples there were, how many broad backs settled against broad chests as tenor voices filled the warm night. The world was pairing off these days [during the AIDS epidemic], no doubt about it.
From the novel: Significant Others, [by] Armistead Maupin (New York: Harper & Row, 1987; "Perennial Library"; Tales of the City Series; v. 5)): p. 45.

palimony:

One or more court-ordered support payments to one's ex-partner in a love relationship that was not legally recognized as a marriage.

See also alimony, break-up rules, child support.

x money.

PAM:

Postivie assortive mating (q.v.).

panchamakara or pancha makaras (Sanskrit):

"Five substances"; the Tantric great rite, the five substances being madya (wine), mamsa (meat), matsya (fish), mudra (a cereal wafer said to have aphrodisiac properties), and maithuna (ritual sexual union).

Comments: Each substance is called a makara.

Some Tantric sects will practice only three of the five, commonly madya, mudra, and maithuna. Some Tantric schools will substitute other substances, for instance:

• coconut juice, cheese, ginger, rice, and honey;
• honey, cow's milk or coconut juice, garlic or ginger, milk of buffalo or sheep, roasted fruits and shoots;
• composing the mind, inbreathing, outbreathing, holding in the breath, and meditation; or,
• knowledge that intoxicates, mastery of speech, currents of energy flowing through the body, yogic meditation, meditation on the primal act of creation.

The rite is also called (a) the five Ms, and (b) the panchatattva or pancha tatvas ("five elements"), although sometimes the latter term is reserved for when drugs (such as cannabis) are used.

See also chakra puja, choli marg.

x five Ms.

x panchatattva.

x Sanskrit terms.

x Tantrism.

Quotation from Indra Sinha Illustrating "Panchamakara"
Well respected Tantras like the Kularnava-tantra emphasise that those who take part in the panchamakara ritual mainly for sexual pleasure or out of mere hedonism only defeat themselves. The senses are to be conquered by leaving nothing unexperienced.
The Great Book of Tantra: Translations and Images from the Classic Indian texts with Commentary, by Indra Sinha (Rochester, Vt.: Destiny Books, c1993): p. 16.

panchatattva (Sanskrit):

See panchamakara.

panfidelity:

Faithfully attempting to live in harmonious relationship with the universe by respecting ecological balance, promoting peace, and particpating in mutually fulfilling relationships, the integrity of each being respected.

Comment: Panfidelity has been conceived as a natural extrapolation of or complement to polyfidelity (q.v.).

See also sex golden age, sexual utopia, utopian swinging.

pangamist:

A person who practices indiscriminate, random, unrestricted, or unchanneled mating.

Comment: Absent in the dictionaries I've checked, but a natural permutation of the word "pangamy," so here included.

See also pangamy.

pangamic:

Pertaining to or characterized by pangamy (q.v.).

Comment: Absent in the dictionaries I've checked, but a natural permutation of the word "pangamy," so here included.

pangamy:

1. Indiscriminate, random, unrestricted, or unchanneled mating; the practice of choosing a partner without criteria or, at least, criteria established by others.

2. Random union of gametes.

Comment: Given what is now known about sperm wars (q.v.), it is conceivable that there is no such thing as a perfectly random union of gametes except under artificial conditions.

See also -gamy, pangamist, pangamic, panmixia.

panic:

See pushbutton panic, Torschlusspanik.

pankoitism:

1. The philosophy that there should be a social maximization of sexual satisfaction in terms of desired sexual activity, variety of sex partners, and the sexual fulfillment of romantic feelings; the view that no erection, male or female, should go to waste.

2. With regard to people with a heterosexual inclination, the attitude that most heterosexual women should have fresh semen in them (or caught by a barrier such as a condom) frequently, even multiple times each day, such that men are thereby routinely drained of the semen they produce, multiple partnering being useful in this endeavor.

Comment: Coined by me, April 23, 2009, and meant to have four syllables: pan-ko'-i-tism.

See also eleutherophilism, free love, libertarianism, libertinism, new morality, pankoitist, pankoity, pansexualism, polyeros, sexosophy, sexual freedom, sexual golden age, sexual morality, sexual mores, sexual utopia, sexual varietism, utopian swinging.

pankoitist:

A person who holds to pankoitism or who practices pankoity.

Comment: Coined by me, April 23, 2009, and meant to have four syllables: pan-ko'-i-tist.

See also apolygist, eleutherophilist, free agent, free lover, libertine, non-monogamist, pankoitism, pankoity, pansexualist, polyamorist, sex radical, sexual nomad, swinger.

pankoity:

The effort of any individual or group of individuals to live up to the vision of pankoitism.

Comment: Coined by me, April 23, 2009, and meant to have four syllables: pan-ko'-i-ty.

From the Greek terms, pan ("all" or "all sorts of") + koitê ("bed" or "sexual intercourse").

See also bonobo way, non-monogamy, pankoitism, pankoitist, pansexuality, polyamory, polyfuckery, polykoity, promiscuity, sexual nonexclusivity, sexual non-monogamy, Sherfey syndrome, swing.

panmixia:

Interbreeding or intermarriage (q.v.) without especial regard as to who belongs to what social group, this as a characteristic of a society -- whether the group is defined by ethnicity, caste, religion, or something else.

Comment: Some maintain that panmixia is a vital part of a strategy for the development of social harmony in a globalized world.

See also amixia, folly, hypergamy, hypogamy, miscegenation, mixed marriage, myriadigamy, pangamy, population race.

pansexual, as in "a pansexual":

1. A person who experiences a suffusion of erotic feeling throughout much or all of his or her way of being in and viewing the world.

2. A person whose sexual expression manifests itself in all kinds of ways or, at least, many ways.

3. A person who is sexually attracted to some of any and all sexes.

See also bisexual, heterosexual, homosexual, monosexual, omnisexual, pansexualism, pansexuality, pomosexual, sexual nomad, try-sexual.

pansexual, as in "pansexual experience":

Pertaining to or characterized by pansexualism or pansexuality.

See also bisexual, heterosexual, homosexual, monosexual, omnisexual, pansexualism, pansexuality, polymoprphous perverse, pomosexual, swing both ways.

x -sexual.

pansexualism, or pansexuality:

1. The view that "everything is sex," in other words, that all human behavior can be explained in terms of the sex drive.

2. The view that no sexual expression, in and of itself, between consenting parties is immoral, that any and all sexual expression which is purely so is all right.

Comment: The Greek word pan , means "all" or "all kinds of." However, the "everything" or "all" in the above definitions is, in actual use, sometimes an exaggeration.

Regarding the first sense, a bit of historical detail from a couple of specialized dictionaries:

"The view that 'everything is sex' has been attributed to Freud by many of his critics and opponents, but is a complete misrepresentation. Although he traced the development of sexuality from birth to maturity, and described the libido, or sex instinct, as a basic source of energy, he also recognized the importance of other drives such as hostility, hunger, thirst, and, toward the end of his life, the 'death instinct.'"¹

"Later psychological philosophers, like Wilhelm Reich, have held ideas closer to pansexualism [than did Freud]."²

References
1 The Language of Sex from A to Z, by Robert M. Goldenson, Kenneth N. Anderson (New York: World Almanac, 1986; "A Walter D. Glanze Book"): p. 195.
2 The Complete Dictionary of Sexology, Robert T. Francoeur, editor-in-chief; Martha Cornog, Timothy Perper, and Norman A. Scherzer, coeditors (New expanded ed. New York: Continuum, 1995): p. 461.

See also "an it harm none, do what ye will," antinomianism, bisexuality, free love, heterosexuality, homosexuality, libertinism, monosexuality, moral equivalence, pankoitism, pansexual, pansexualist, pansexuality, pansexualize, pomosexuality, sex on the brain, sexual immorality, sexual liberation, sexual morality, sexual permissiveness, unwelcome admixtures with sexuality. 

pansexualist:

1. A person who holds the view that all human behavior can be explained in terms of the sex drive.

2. A person who hold the view that no sexual expression, in and of itself, between consenting parties is immoral.

See also non-monogamist, pankoitist, pansexualism, pansexuality, pansexualize, pomosexual.

pansexuality, or pansexualism:

1. An individual's behavior or the behavior of a set of individuals being, in actuality, entirely accounted for by the sex drive.

2. The suffusion of erotic feeling throughout much or all of one's way of being in and viewing the world.

3. Sexual expression manifesting itself in all kinds of ways or, at least, a great many ways.

4. The totality of the kinds of sexuality, whether enduring or fleeting, of which human beings are capable.

5. Sexual orientation that is unbounded by one's own sex relative to that of others; attraction to some of any and all sexes.

Comment: The Greek word pan , means "all" or "all kinds of." However, the "entirety" or "all" or "totality" in the above definitions is, in actual use, sometimes an exaggeration.

See also bisexuality, heterosexuality, homosexuality, monosexuality, omnisexuality, pankoity, pansexual, pansexualism, pansexualist, polymoprphous perversity, pomosexuality, pornification, sexuality.

pansexualize:

To explain all behavior -- or, at least, some comprehensive subset of behavior, such as all human behavior -- and the products thereof in terms of the sex drive.

See also pansexualism, pansexualist.

pantagamy:

A group marriage (q.v.) encompassing all the adult members of a particular social group, in which every man is considered the spouse of every woman and vice versa.

Comment: Etymologically the term is meant to mean "marriage of all"; however, it is formed in such a way as to suggest the opposite, "universal absence of marriage." A better formation for the intended meaning would be "pantogamy."

See also cenogamy, complex marriage, -gamy, omnigamy, pantogamist, pantogamous.

x pantogamy.

pantogamist:

1. A participant in pantagamy (q.v.).

2. An advocatre or supporter of pantagamy.

Comment: Absent in the dictionaries I've checked, but a natural permutation of the word "pantagamy" (with the adjustment there suggested), so here included.

pantogamous:

Pertaining to or charaterized by pantagamy (q.v.).

Comment: Absent in the dictionaries I've checked, but a natural permutation of the word "pantagamy" (with the adjustment there suggested), so here included.

pantogamy:

See pantagamy.

pants:

See wear the breeches.

paper courtship:

A romance carried on largely by way of letters.

See also courtship, romance.

Quotation from Roger Manvell Illustrating "Paper Courtship"
[Ellen Terry (1847-1928) was an] English actress who became one of the most popular stage performers in both Great Britain and North America... In the 1890s she began her famous "paper courtship" with George Bernard Shaw, one of the most brilliant correspondences in the history of English letter writing.
From: "Terry, (Alice) Ellen,"[signed] R. M. [Roger Manvell (d. 1987)], in: The New Encyclopædia Britannica. Micropædia: Ready Reference (15th ed. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, c1989): v. 11, pp. 651-652, specifically p. 651.

paperless husband:

Male partner in a paperless marriage.

See also husband, lover, paperless marriage, paperless spouse, partner.

Quotation from Alfred Alvarez Illustrating "Paperless Husband"
... Birgita, who had separated from her paperless husband one month before, was clearly in a state.
From: Life After Marriage: Love in an Age of Divorce, by A. Alvarez (New York: Simon and Schuster, c1981): p. 243.

paperless marriage:

A marriage (q.v.) in all aspects except for the legal formalities.

See also ad hoc union, broomstick-marriage, bungalowing, cohabitation, common law marriage, living together, long engagement, ménage, other terms than marriage, paperless husband, paperless spouse, paperless wife.

Quotation from Alfred Alvarez Illustrating "Paperless Marriage"
[241] In Scandinavia the radical young drew the obvious conclusions and tried for a time to do without formal marriage. If legal papers are worth so little and do such harm, they said, let us have marriages without papers, marriages based solely on free choice and goodwill.... [242] The name of the game is "the paperless marriage," and it is played with considerable energy. Elesewhere, it is called "living together," but in Denmark they have given it an appropriately radical, post-'68 title, a gesture of freedom in a form-filling age. In theory, a paperless marriage is a model for the future, a marriage without bureaucracy, without ceremony, without legal equivocation. It is a free union of equals who agree to make a life together, but independently, keeping their own names, their own property, their own proper distance. It is a form of marriage for those on the run from one marital disaster who are terrified of being trapped in another, yet hanker for something more stable and satisfying than an affair. It is also marriage reinterpreted [243] according to the politics of feminism, the dice for once loaded in favor of the women and no allowances made for traditional patriarchal authority. If the union breaks up, for example, the father has no rights over the children ... [243] A paperless marriage was ideal, he [a sociologist] had told me, until it breaks up. At that point, every possession [244] -- from children to teacups -- can be argued over endlessly, bitterly. The legal wrangling and expense were so inordinate that young couples were beginning to marry again in order to protect themselves against disaster. "You need so many papers in a paperless marriage," he had said, "whereas if you're married, all you need is the license." The paperless marriage had been made prematurely obsolete by easy divorce.
From: Life After Marriage: Love in an Age of Divorce, by A. Alvarez (New York: Simon and Schuster, c1981): chapter 10, "The Paperless Marriage," pp. [236]-246, specifically 241-244.

paperless spouse:

A partner in a paperless marriage.

Comment: Constructed on analogy with "paperless husband" and "paperless wife" (NEA, October 6, 2006).

See also lover, paperless husband, paperless marriage, paperless wife, partner, spouse.

paperless wife:

Female partner in a paperless marriage.

See also lover, paperless marriage, paperless spouse, partner, wife.

Quotation from Alfred Alvarez Illustrating "Paperless Wife"
My friend David and his paperless wife Suzanne thought I should meet someone who was going through this new style of divorce: a divorce without marriage, a blueprint for the future.
From: Life After Marriage: Love in an Age of Divorce, by A. Alvarez (New York: Simon and Schuster, c1981): p. 243.

paper marriage:

1. A high-ranking person's wedding, the fees of which are paid in bank-notes.

2. A marriage (q.v.) that is one in form only, that is according to the documents signed, and not in substance.

See also faux wedding, immigration marriage fraud, mock marriage, sham marriage, wedding.

paphian:

Of or relating to love (q.v.), especially love considered illicit.

Comment: Paphos was an ancient center, located on Cyprus, for the worship of Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

parable of the porcupine:

See porcupine dilemma.

paracoita:

A female with whom one has sexual intercourse.

See also paracoitus, partner, sex partner.

paracoitus:

A male with whom one has sexual intercourse.

See also paracoita, partner.

paradisal marriage:

Marriage (q.v.) in the Garden of Eden before the Fall of humankind, as represented, for instance, in the Bible at Genesis 1-3 or in John Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost (1667; 2nd ed., 1674); the relationship between Adam and Eve before they ate the forbidden fruit and were expelled from the Garden of Eden.

See also Adam's rib, androgyne archetype, helpmeet, prelapsarian marriage, sexual golden age.

x Bible.

paradoxes:

See fortunate fall, passion paradox, rich man/biker paradox.

paramour:

A lover of any sex, especially a lover of someone who is married to somebody else.

See also amari, backdoor lover, boytoy, cavaliere servante, cicisbeo, gallant, girl toy, illicit lover, leman, loteby, lover, mistress, other man, other woman, out-of-marriage lover, out-paramour, partner, poplolly, sex partner, spark, steady paramour, Sunday husband, toy boy.

parent:

1. One who has had genetic offspring. In this sense the term is sometimes qualified, as in "genetic parent" or "biological parent." Ordinarily, among human beings, being a parent in this sense implies having mated, however temporarily or durably.

2. A person who has taken on the primary responsibility, in many societies often shared with a mate or ex-mate, for the raising of one or more children.

Comment: One implication of the two definitions is that a child can have two heritages, one genetic and the other one of family culture. Knowledge of both is important to many people, not only to have a sense of where one comes from but also, among other things, for the sake of managing one's health risks.

See also babymaker, breeder, empty-nester, family, father, genetic partner, mother, only parent, parental marriage, parent without partner, single parent, single-parent family, surrogate father, surrogate mother, two-parent family, unwed parent.

parental marriage (Margaret Mead, 1966):

A marriage (q.v.) that is considered by the partners to be durable enough for the raising of children and in which an extra measure of commitment is made to keeping the marriage together for the child-rearing period; a marriage contracted with the specific purpose of founding a family.

Comment: In Margaret Mead's scheme, parental marriage is the second and separately licensed step in a two-step marriage (q.v.).

See also braking hypothesis, individual marriage, parent, procreative marriage, reconstituted marriage, trial marriage.

parent without partner:

A single person who is raising a child.

Comment: I've seen the term only in the plural: "parents without partners," which is abbreviated "PWP."

See also choice mom, divorcé, divorcée, formerly married, only parent, parent, PWP, re-singled, single, single parent, single-parent family, unwed father, unwed mother, unwed parent, widow, widower, zoo daddy.

parking lot romance:

1. Flirtation or sexual activity in an area where cars are temporarily left, typically in or just outside of one of the vehicles.

2. A love relationship, one or more significant points of which, such as first contact, occur in an area where cars are temporarily left.

See also amomaxia, love relationship, romance.

parnel:

1. A priest's mistress or concubine.

2. A sexually loose woman.

3. A female prostitute.

Comment: Diminutive of the Italian word petronalla.

See also bitch, clericolagnia, concubine, gugusse, mistress, particular relationship, pastor's wife, petronalla, preacher's wife, smellsmock, Sunday wife; blowen, chippy, courtesan, doxy, güila, hoe, moll, slut, squaw, tart, tottie.

partible paternity:

1. One person having multiple biological fathers, as some in some cultures falsely believe occurs when the mother has sexual intercourse with more than one man.

2. One person having as a biological father one of two or more possible candidates, especially where a child-parent relationship exists with more than one of them.

3. Two or more men each regarding a child as belonging to each of them, especially where any of them could be the biological father, and exercizing parental responsibilities accordingly.

See also double paternity, husband-doubling, monospermy, paternity, previous-sire myth, sloppy seconds, telegony, wife-sharing.

x myths.

particular relationship:

A lesbian relationship, especially between nuns.

See also amitié particulière, Boston marriage, female marriage, gugusse, homosexuality, lesbian, lesbianism, parnel, she-troth, smellsmock.

partner:

1. In the context of a marriage (q.v.), a person to whom one is married or with whom one shares a spouse in marriage.

2. In the context of a love relationship (q.v.), a person who reciprocates love or who is in a chain of reciprocating love.

3. In the context of a sexual relationship (q.v.), a person with whom one repeatedly shares sexual activity; a person who satisfies or helps to satisfy one's sexual needs and desires on an ongoing basis.

4. In the context of a sexual encounter (q.v.), a person with whom such an encounter takes place.

5. In the context of a discussion of venereal disease, each individual in a chain of sexual contact in relation to each other individual in that same chain.

6. Speaking more broadly in social terms, a person with whom one joins for socializing, play, or work.

See also aiparik, all men to (me), all women to (me), alternate squeeze, amari, amorosa, amoroso, amortorculist, amourette, angutawkun, assistant, aypareet, aytpareik, babe, baby, beau, bed buddy, bed-fellow, bedmate, bed partner, beloved, beloved stranger, benison, better half, blind date, boy-bridegroom, boyfriend, boytoy, bride, bridegroom, brother starling, bundle of freemates, cadre of beloveds, cavalier, cavaliere servante, child-bride, child-husband, choice of one's heart, cicisbeo, clutch of lovers, cocotte, cohabitant, cohabitee, co-husband, comet, common law husband, common law spouse, common law wife, companion, concubine, consort, constant companion, copemate, co-primary, cosominator, co-spouse, country mistress, country wife, courtesan, co-vivant, co-wife, cuddle buddy, cuddle of lovers, cutie, cutie pie, cyberfling, cyberlover, cybersex partner, darling, date, dear, dearest friend, dearheart, de facto, distal partner, domestic companion, domestic partner, erotic friend, ex-ex, ex-partner, farmer's wife, flame, freemate, friend with benefits, f*** buddy, f*** mate, gallant, genicon, gentleman friend, genetic partner, gigolo, girl-bride, girlfriend, girl toy, groom, group partner, headdress keeper, heartthrob, hetaera, helpmate, helpmeet, hindermate, honey, housemate, hubby, husband, husband in truth, husbe, husby, husfriend, huzbear, illegitimate spouse, illicit lover, imbroglio of polyamours, inamorata, inamorato, in-house friend, in (one's) life, insignificant other, intimate companion, intimate friend, intimate partner, jaina, jelly, junior husband, junior wife, kept man, kept woman, lady friend, leman, lesser wife, leveret, lifemate, life partner, life's companion, live-in boyfriend, live-in companion, live-in girlfriend, live-in lover, long-distance lover, long-time companion, long-time love, love (as in "my sweet love"), lovebird, love-companion, lovemate, lover, loverboy, lovey, loving companion, main squeeze, major squeeze, male concubine, man friend, man in one's life, mate, mbuya, mistress, MLTR, moll, monogamy-insistent partner, mono partner, notr'amour, novia, novio, nuliaqpak, nuliinuaroak, odalisque, offscreen squeeze, old boyfriend, old girlfriend, old flame, once-in-a-while lover, one, one-and-only, one-night stand, one true love, other half, other man, other other man, other other woman, other significant other, other woman, out-of-marriage lover, owneress, paracoita, paperless hussband, paperless spouse, paperless wife, paracoitus, paramour, partner in love, partner of long standing, pastor's husband, pastor's partner, PASSLQ, pastor's wife, perfect catch, personal attachment, phone sex partner, pickup, play-fellow, pleasing appendage, plus one, polyamour, poly-insistent partner, polylove, polylover, polypartner, poplolly, POSSLQ, preacher's husband, preacher's partner, preacher's wife, primary partner, primary wife, primemate, Prince Charming, project, prospect, proximal partner, rabbanit, rebbetzin, relationship material, repartner, Romeo, sannup, secondary partner, secondary significant other, secondary wife, second husband, second wife, senior husband, senior wife, sex buddy, sex partner, sex surrogate, sexual partnering, sexual partnership, sheet partner, side girl, side squeeze, significant other, sign mate, sits-beside-him woman, skains-mate, spark, spice (singular), spice (as a plural), splice, spiritual husband, spiritual wife, spousal equivalent, spouse, squaw, squaw man, squish, starter husband, starter spouse, starter wife, steady paramour, studmuffin, Sunday husband, Sunday wife, swain, swainling, sweetheart, sweetie, syzygos, tertiary partner, TOCOTOX, TOTGA, toy boy, trophy husband, trophy wife, true love, umfriend, ungetaken, valentine, very good friend, waighembe, water-sibling, wife in truth, woman friend, woman in one's life, yokefellow, yokemate, zipless f***.

Quotation from Shirley Abbott Illustrating "Partner"
[228] AIDS was an acronym we had all recently and reluctantly learned to recognize: acquired immune deficiency syndrome, a disease that no antibiotic could touch.... Tragedy, banished so briefly in the mid-twentieth century, had come back in style by the late 1980s. Sexual intercourse was no private [229] matter: I was the partner of every man or woman my jet-set businessman had touched, and they all were partners of my partners. God, when had we begun referring to lovers as partners? Limited partners? Partners in what?
From: Love's Apprentice, [by] Shirley Abbott (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998): pp. 228-229.

partner, as in "to partner":

1. To enter into a domestic union with someone.

2. To enter into a committed love relationship with someone, especially if doing so entails living together.

See also committed love relationship, domestic partnership, partner romantically, partner sexually, romantic partnering, sexual partnering.

Quotation from Isabel Allende Illustrating "Partnered"
Chile is possibly the one country in the galaxy where there is no divorce, and that's because no one dares defy the priests, even though 71 percent of the population has been demanding it for a long time. No legislator, not even those who have been separated from their wives and partnered a series of other women in quick succession, is willing to stand up to the priests ...
From: My Invented Country: A Nostalgic Journey Through Chile, [by] Isabel Allende; translated from the Spanish by Margaret Sayers Peden (New York, ny; harperCollins, c2003): p. 76. Translation of: Mi Pais Inventado.

partner in life:

See life partner.

partner in love:

1. A person with whom one is in a love relationship.

2. A person with whom one is in love and who reciprocates with love, whether declared or not, but with whom one is somehow prevented from being in a love relationship.

See also love relationship, partner; in love, love sickness, pine for, undecalred love.

partner of long standing:

A person with whom one has been in a love relationship for a considerable duration.

See also long-time companion, long-time love, partner, steady paramour.

partner romantically:

To establish or to maintain an attachment between each other, an attachment that entails both mutual affection and mutual sexual attraction.

See also partner, partner sexually, romantic partnering.

partner sexually:

To satisfy or help to satisfy each other's libidinous needs and desires on an ongoing basis as the result of a conscious choice to do so.

Comment: This can be expressed in a variety of ways, for example, "to partner in sex."

See also be man to a woman, be woman to a man, partner, partner romantically, sexual partnering (note especially the comments), sexual partnership.

partner sharing:

1. The exchanging of marital or love relationship partners across marital or love relationship lines for recreational sex, with the consent of all involved.

2. Consensually having at least one partner in common with one or more others.

See also agapemone, brother starling, doused lights, good match, heart-swapping, husband swapping, mate swapping, pi supuhui, spouse exchange, swing, wife swapping; biamory, bukis, buksvåger, buksvägerska, co-husband, co-spouse, co-wife, non-monogamy, notr'amour, pentamory, polyamory, polyfidelity, quadramory, share (one's partner) with, sheet partner, TOCOTOX, triamory, ungetaken, wife-sharing.

x partner swapping

partner swapping:

See mate swapping, partner sharing.

partouse (French):

An orgy (q.v.).

Comment: Also spelled partouze.

See also group sex, sex party.

x French terms.

party, as in "a party in which people gather":

See chicken party, circuit party, cuddle party, cupcake party, doused lights, flirt party, friction party, goukon, hen party, hooky party, house party, key party, Mandingo party, open party, pimps and hoes party, purity ball, rainbow party, sex party, singles party, skin party, stag party, tarts party, toe party, tutting party, vicars and tarts party, yarikon.

party, as in "sailor Bungy's with his party":

A girlfriend.

Source: Sea Slang of the Twentieth Century: Royal Navy, Merchant Navy, Yachtsmen, Fishermen, Bargemen, Canalmen, Miscellaneous, by Wilfred Granville; introduction and etymologies by Eric Partridge (New York: Philosophical Library, 1950): p. 175.

See also dobash, fishing fleet, girlfriend, girl in every port, jelly, knitting, lanlady, long-haired chum, pash, popsey.

party, as in "to party":

1. To engage in casual sex (q.v.).

2. To engage in swinging.

See also Friday night girl, open party, recreational sex, swing, tarts party, vicars and tarts party, zipless f***.

party rape:

Gang rape (q.v.) committed at a social gathering.

See also rape.

pash:

1. A letter ranked according to its importance to the recipient.

2. A girlfriend, especially one who is ranked, as in "number one pash," "number two pash," etc., or as in "best girl," "next best girl," etc.

Source: Sea Slang of the Twentieth Century: Royal Navy, Merchant Navy, Yachtsmen, Fishermen, Bargemen, Canalmen, Miscellaneous, by Wilfred Granville; introduction and etymologies by Eric Partridge (New York: Philosophical Library, 1950): p. 176.

See also dobash, fishing fleet, girlfriend, girl in every port, jelly, knitting, lanlady, long-haired chum, love letter, party, popsey, primary partner, secondary partner, tertiary partner.

x number one pash.

x number two pash.

pass, as in "a pass":

See make a pass at.

pass, as in "to pass":

Not to be noticed in a way that one is different from others in a group, especially when being so noticed might excite prejudice. Thus:

• a light-skinned person of African descent might pass as a Caucasion;
• a gay person might pass as straight; or,
• a polyamorous person might pass as monogamous.

See also beard, convert, cover, frock, lavender marriage, merkin, mixed-orientation marriage, on the down low.

passion:

1. Experience by way of sensation acting upon oneself; the condition of passive becoming. This was a philosophical sense of Greek pathos = Latin passio from Plato through the Middle Ages and later, and those terms in that sense are frequently translated into English as "passion."

2. Suffering.

3. Capitalized, the sufferings of Jesus after the Last Supper, taken collectively and inclusive of his Crucifixion, there usually being a connotation of religious significance (compare the Greek paschô or Latin passio, as at Acts 1:3, and the Greek pathos, as at Ignatius, Romans 6); also any composition representing them, although often in such cases the word is used as an adjective, as in "Passion narrative" and "Passion play." For the canonical Gospel accounts, see Matthew 26:30-27:50; Mark 14:26-15:37; Luke 22:39-23:46; and John 18:1-19:30.

4. Martyrdom, or an account thereof.

5. Enthusiasm, or the object thereof.

6. A feeling from within, but neither intellectual nor spiritual in character, that is capable of spurring one to good or to evil. This is a sense from moral theology.

7. A strong emotion, especially one capable of influencing one's behavior, perhaps even over-riding or undermining one's will-power; an inwardly felt motive that is capable of running contrary to reason.

8. A sensibility that powerfully informs one's values, which in turn serve as the basis for decision-making and action.

9. The set of emotions associated with being in love, or the object thereof.

10. Powerful sexual desire, or the object thereof.

Comment: The philosophical senses can be enumerated indefinitely, almost philosopher by philosopher.

Coping with the passions, both in terms of self-control and social regulation, has been a major theme of moral and political theory.

See also amour-passion, ardor, consummate love, eroticism, fatuous love, horniness, infatuation, in love, Laws of Lovers' Passion, limerance, longing, love, love-passion, lust, new relationship energy, passionate, passionate love, proceptive phase, propassion, sexual desire, sexual morality, triangular theory of love, unsynchronized passion, yearning.

x Bible.

x Greek terms.

x Latin terms.

Quotation from Lauren Slator Illustrating "Passion"
Studies around the world confirm that, indeed, passion usually ends. Its conclusion is as common as its initial flare. No wonder some cultures think selecting a lifelong mate based on something so fleeting is folly.
From: "Love" = Cover title: "Love: The Chemical Reaction" = Table of contents title: "True Love," by Lauren Slater; photographs by Jodi Cobb, in: National Geographic; v. 209, no. 2 (February 2006): pp. 32-49, specifically pp. 39, 44.

passionate:

1. Capable of or characterized by intense emotion or emotionally infused convictions; ardent.

2. Arising from the seat of emotions.

3. Easily provoked into anger.

4. Characterized by or pertaining to intense romantic emotion, especially such emotion in expressive form.

5. Characterized by or pertaining to intense sexual desire, especially such desire in expressive form.

Comment: The term sometimes connotes the intent to arouse emotion on the part of another or others.

See also amative, amorous, erotic, loving, passion, romantic.

passionate love:

A romantic absorption in and amorous interest in an individual; an intense emotional state characterized by a multiplicity of emotions, such as sexual desire for a love interest, desire to be close, even attached, to that individual, elation, and possibly anxiety and jealousy, also typically by a heightened vulnerability to being hurt emotionally.

Comment: Such love is sometimes contrasted with companionate love (q.v.), which is described as lower-key.

See also amour-passion, chemistry, chemistry of love, crush, crystallization, hot love, infatuation, in love, Laws of Lovers' Passion, limerance, love, love-passion, new relationship energy, passion, proceptive phase, torrid affair, wildly in love with.

passion-love:

See amour-passion, love-passion.

passion paradox:

A conundrum in love relationships sometimes brought about by an inequity of emotional investment: the more emotionally invested one partner is in the relationship or some aspect thereof, the less invested the other becomes, which gives the less invested partner more power in the relationship or that aspect of it and makes the more invested partner feel dissatisfaction, even desperation, and perhaps also an intensification of desire, the overall result being a relationship badly out of balance.

Comment: Coinage attributed to Cassandra Phillips.

Also called the passion trap.

Source: The Passion Paradox: Patterns of Love and Power in Intimate Relationships, [by] Dean C. Delis with Cassandra Phillips (New York, NY: Bantam Books, c1990). Later published as: The Passion Trap: Where is Your Relationship Going? [by] Dean C. Delis with Cassandra Phillips (2nd ed. Tucson, Ariz.: Fenestra Books, 2002).

See also Romeo and Juliet effect, sexual deprivation.

x paradoxes.

x passion trap.

passion trap:

See passion paradox.

passive-congenial relationship:

See five kinds of relationship.

passive smirting:

Flirtation around tobacco smoke outside an establishment where smoking is banned inside, but without smoking.

See also flirtation, smirting.

PASSLQ:

"Person of an appropriate sex sharing living quarters."

Comment: A sexually inclusive modification of POSSLQ attributed to William Safire.

See also amari, cohabitant, cohabitee, co-vivant, de facto, domestic companion, domestic partner, housemate, in-house friend, live-in boyfriend, live-in companion, live-in girlfriend, live-in lover, living together, ménage, partner, POSSLQ, shack up, share the same bedroom, significant other, TOCOTOX, umfriend.

past attachment:

A former lover or former spouse.

See also ancient history, attachment, ex, ex-boyfriend, ex-girlfriend, ex-husband, ex-partner, ex-wife, ghosts of relationships past, left-over desire, left-over love, letter group (X), old boyfriend, old girlfriend, quondam husband, quondam wife, retrosexual, right of return.

pastorauling:

1. Dressing up as or pretending to be or behaving like shepherds and shepherdesses.

2. Taking a walk in a field as lovers.

Comment: A Scottish word.

My supposition is that this is derived from the adjective "pastoral," by way of turning the adjective into a verb and then a substantive, with a dialectical spelling. It would seem to have nothing etymologically in common with rhyming words, such as "caterwauling" and "overhauling."

See also lovers' lane, lovers' walk.

pastor's husband:

Male spouse of a female member of the Christian clergy.

Comment: The expectations for pastor's husbands seem not to be as well formed as they are for pastor's wives.

See also clerical marriage, clericolagnia, husband, partner, pastor's partner, pastor's wife, preacher's husband, spouse.

pastor's partner:

A person with whom a member of the Christian clergy is in a committed love relationship or marriage.

See also clerical marriage, clericolagnia, partner, pastor's husband, pastor's wife, preacher's partner.

pastor's wife:

Female spouse of a male member of the Christian clergy.

Comments: The term "pastor's wife" is most associated with Protestant traditions. A close synonym is "preacher's wife."

Typically a church will impose heavy expectations on a pastor's wife -- not only to be the ideal church member and model of a Christian wife, but also to take various payless leadership positions in the church, to entertain in her "role" as pastor's wife freely, and to raise a family, each member of which is a "testimony" to the faith -- these things despite the fact that the typical full-time pastor works more than sixty hours a week for a salary that shamelessly exploits the service motive. She and her family will thus live, or live in resistance against, an unnatural pressurized fishbowl existence, albeit one that, by virtue of the husband's spiritual vocation, may straddle social classes. Sometimes she herself will view her role as being part of a joint ministry.

The terms, "pastor's husband," "pastor's spouse," and "pastor's partner," do not necessarily carry the same associations, in part since they have come into general use during an era that stresses the distinctness of each individual, whether male or female, with respect to labor. This, however, does not necessarily mean complete release from churchly expectations.

With regard to "pastor's wife/pastor's husband," as with "farmer's wife/farmer's husband," when the connotations are not comparable (as, even today, they seldom are), there would seem to be unfairness in language with respect to gender; and so the terms should be used either advisedly or not at all. Language mavens are usually loath to make the point out of deference to religious institutions, but since I was a preacher's kid and have worked most of my adult life in religious institutions, I will do so: If religious institutions do not root exploitation and prejudice out of their own expectations and practices, even, maybe especially, with regard to those whose motive is to serve or to partner with those who do, then how can they as institutions expect to have any beneficial effect upon or prophetic voice within society? Sometimes instead society at large moves towards greater fairness while religious institutions, which are often exempted under law, continue to perpetuate society's old unfairnesses.

By the way, "iman's wife," "priest's wife," "rabbi's wife," etc. don't automatically connote role expectations to the same extent (except within certain traditions), although sometimes such partners have special expectations laid upon them anyway. The same with regard to "chief executive's wife" and "politician's wife"; although the wife of the head of a government may be expected to fill a "first lady" role and may experience some of what a pastor's wife typically experiences; in fact, she will often also have other experiences typical of someone in her position. For other terms along these lines, see under "consort."

See also clerical marriage, clericolagnia, farmer's wife, "one flesh," parnel, partner, pastor's husband, pastor's partner, preacher's wife, spouse, wife.

Related terms beyond the scope of this glossary: missionary kid (MK), preacher's kid (PK).

patched-up business:

1. A situation where matters had gone wrong and are now fixed but are not as good as they should be or could have been.

2. A situation where marriage is the resolution of a sexual entanglement in a context where such entanglement is considered dishonorable.

See also shotgun wedding.

Quotation from Jane Austen Illustrating "Patched-up Business"
[Lady Catherine de Bourgh to Elizabeth Bennet]: '... I am no stranger to the particulars of your youngest sister's infamous elopement. I know it all; that the young man's marrying her, was a patched-up business, at the expense of your father and uncles...'
From the novel: Pride and Prejudice, [by] Jane Austen (New York: Barnes & Noble Books, c2003): chapter 56, p. 445. Originally published: Pride and Prejudice: A Novel ..., by the author of "Sense and Sensibility" (London: T. Egerton, 1813).

pater:

The husband of a child's mother and legal father of that child.

See also father; genitor; husband; Mater semper certa est, pater est, quem nuptiae demonstrant; paternity; smismar.

Pater est quem nuptiae demonstrant:

See Mater semper certa est, pater est, quem nuptiae demonstrant.

paterfamilias:

A man who heads a household.

Contrast mater familias (q.v.) See also father-only family, household, patriarchal family, patricentric family.

paternal discrepancy:

Begetting of a child by an individual other than the mother's mate.

See also cuckoldry, duped dad, extra-pair copulation, genetic partner, paternity.

paternity:

1. Biological (genetic) fatherhood.

2. Legally recognized fatherhood, whether or not one is the biological father.

3. Fatherhood as a function within a family and in relation to particular children, inclusive of the panoply of associations with it.

4. Descent on the father's side.

Comment: The term is also used adjectivally, as in "paternity leave."

Contrast maternity (q.v.). See also double paternity; duped dad; father of [my, your, her] child(ren); genetic partner; genitor; Mater semper certa est, pater est, quem nuptiae demonstrant; partible paternity; pater; paternal discrepancy; paternity test; patriarchal; salvator femininus; unwed father.

paternity test:

Application of a scientific method, typically using DNA analysis, to determine who is or is not the genetic father of a particular child or fetus.

Comment: The relatively recent development of accurate paternity testing would seem to challenge the underlying rationale behind patriarchally constructed morals and law, from sexual restrictions upon women so that each man can have a measure of assurance that he is not rearing the children of other men, to the legal assumption that the husband is the father for the sake of social order, since assumptions no longer have to be made.

See also maternity test, paternity.

x DNA test.

x tests.

pathic:

One receiving the phallus in a male homosexual encounter.

Contrast pederast (q.v.). See also active-passive split, catamite, cinaedus, gay male, homosexual, malakos, pornos, sodomite.

patriarchal:

1. Headed, per custom, by a male.

2. Of or pertaining to a patriarchal family or the headship thereof.

Contrast matriarchal (q.v.). See also gamical, paternity, patriarchal family, patriarchal marriage.

patriarchal family:

1. A family (q.v.) organized with the father or senior father as the formal and functional head, especially when this is according to custom.

2. A family that is ruled by a senior male and organized according to patrilineal descent, especially when this is according to custom. Patrilocal residence (q.v.) is sometimes also an expected feature of a patriarchal family.

Contrast matriarchal family (q.v.). See also consanguine family, doll's house marriage, doll's house relationship, "head of the wife," paterfamilias, patriarchalism, patricentric family, polygyny, stem family, wear the breeches.

patriarchalism:

1. Belief that in a social unit -- such as a state, business, or family -- a male should lead, except, perhaps, where no willing or qualified male is available or where that social unit is made up of women only.

2. Implementation of such a belief in practice.

Contrast matriarchalism (q.v.). See also double standard, feminism, Lilith, male chauvinism, patriarchal family.

patriarchal marriage:

1. A marriage (q.v.) that conforms to a patriarchal system.

2. Polygyny or plural marriage, after the pattern set by Abraham, Jacob, and Moses.

See also Celestial Marriage, lord, non-monogamy, master, patriarchal, plural marriage, plural wife, polygyny.

patricentric family:

A two-generational family in which the father is the key figure, the mother's position being casual, temporary, or otherwise peripheral.

Coined by me on analogy with "matricentric family." But perhaps it already exists.

Contrast matricentric family (q.v.). See also family, father-only family, paterfamilias, patriarchal family.

patrilocal residence:

In reference to the married, living in the husband's place of origin and with or near his father, generally in accordance with custom.

See also ambilocal residence, amitalocal residence, avunculocal residence, bilocal residence, duolocal residence, matrilocal residence, matripatrilocal residence, neolocal residence, patriarchal family, unilocal residence, uxoribilocal residence, uxorilocal residence, uxoripatrilocal residence, virilocal residence, walk-in marriage.

Pauline privilege:

See privilegium Paulinum.

pay court to:

See court.

PDA:

Public display of affection (q.v.).

peacock:

1. To attempt to gain sexual attention, especially in a public way.

2. To cop vanity or actually to puff oneself up with vanity.

Comment: On analogy with tail feather fanning behavior on the part of males of the genus, pavo, especially of the species pavo cristatus.

See also flirt.

peccadillo; plural, peccadilloes or peccadillos:

1. A small sin or little fault.

2. A sexual escapade that violated sexual mores or morality but that is considered by the speaker to have been a small offense because of, for instance, its brevity, its limited activity, or its insignificance.

3. A temporary lapse of emotional fidelity; falling in love, for a time, with someone other than one's spouse.

4. The person with whom one had a sexual escapade or a lapse of emotional fidelity.

See also amourette, dalliance, emotional infidelity, escapade romantique, fling, flirtation, illicit love, illicit relationship, inappropriate relationship, indiscretion, irregular connection, lover, one-night stand, perversion, sex scandal, sexual immorality, sexual mores, short-term relationship, unwelcome admixture with sexuality.

Quotations from D. H. Lawrence Illustrating and Contextualizing "Peccadilloes"
[189, the character Mrs. Hepburn to Hannele] "... But I never throw stones. I know what it is myself to have temptations. I have to flirt a little -- and when I was younger -- well, the men didn't escape me, I assure you. And I was so often scorched. But never quite singed. My husband never minded. He knew I was really safe. Oh yes, I have always been faithful to him. But still -- I have been very near the flame."
[192, again Mrs. Hepburn to Hannele] "Perhaps one needs a tiny pinch of the salt of jealousy. I believe one does. And I have not had one jealous moment for seventeen years. So that, really, when I heard a whisper of something going on here, I felt almost pleased. I felt exonerated for my own little peccadilloes, for one thing. And I felt he was perhaps a little more human. Because, after all, it is nothing but human to fall in love, if you are alone for a long time and in the company of a beautiful woman -- and if you're an attractive man yourself."
From the short story: "The Captain's Doll," in: The Ladybird, by D. H. Lawrence (London: Martin Secker, 1923): pp. 189, 192. The italics are his.

pederast:

1. The senior male in a homosexual relationship between an adult male and a male youth, in a typical classical model the senior having phallic access to the youth, including the youth's anus.

2. An adult male who exercises his phallus in the anus of a young male.

3. A male analist, especially with one or more other males.

Comment: Etymologically the term means "lover of youth"; however, in English, a different term, "pedophile," is typically used to convey the sense of an adult who is attracted to and has sex with minors, particularly pre-pubescent or early pubescent minors. Sometimes "pederast" is treated as a subcategory of "pedophile"; sometimes it is treated as the complement to "pedophile," pedophilia then being chiefly heterosexual orientation to minors; and sometimes, despite the etymology, it is disassociated from love of youth altogether.

By the way, there is nothing etymological to suggest anality, only heavy historical associations; that is, unless an alternate etymology can be demonstrated relating the term to pedo ("I fart") and podex ("anus"), rather than pais/paid- (child).

Instead of the terms "pederast" and "catamite," sometimes "erastes" and "eromenos" could be substituted. Speaking of male homosexuality among the ancient Greeks, K. J. Dover wrote:

"The pais in a homosexual relationship was often a youth who had attained full height (the vase-paintings leave us in no doubt about that); in order to avoid cumbrousness and at the same time to avoid the imprecision of 'boy', I have consistently adopted the Greek term erömenos, masculine passive participle of erän, 'be in love with ...', 'have a passionate desire for ...' [snip] For the senior partner I have adopted the Greek noun erastës, 'lover', which is equally applicable to heterosexual and homosexual relations [snip] From now on 'erastes' and 'eromenos' will be printed as if they were English words."¹

Reference
1 Greek Homosexuality, [by] K. J. Dover (Updated and with a new postscript. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, c1989): p. 16.

Contrast catamite (q.v.) and pathic (q.v.). See also arsenokoitês, cinaedus, gay lifestyle, gay male, homosexual, pedophile, sodomite.

x erastes.

x eromenos.

x paederast.

Quotation from Fred. Chas. Forberg Illustrating "Pederast"
A man who exercises his member in the anus, be it of a man or a woman, pedicates; he is called a pederast, pedicon, drawk [from the Greek term, draö, meaning "I work, execute"], and the other party, who allows himself to be invaded in that way, is called the patient, cinaedus, catamite, minion, effeminate; if adult or worn out, he is named exolete. The masculine pleasure (so called because women allowed themselves much more rarely to be pedicated than men) is appreciated equally by the active party, the pedicon, as by the passive party, the patient.
From: De Figuris Veneris: Manual of Classical Erotology, by Fred. Chas. Forberg [i.e. Friedrich Karl Forberg, 1770-1848] (New York: Medical Press of New York, 1964): pp. 45-46. Perhaps due to my limited reading on the subject, this is the only instance I've seen of woman being brought into the picture as a passive party in the definition of "pederast." It is also the only example I have seen of "drawk." By the way, for other synonyms of the "passive party," see under "catamite."

pederasty:

1. A male homosexual relationship, especially between an adult and a youth.

2. Anal intercourse, especially between males.

See also active-passive split, ephebophilia, pederast, pedophilia.

pedestal:

See place on a pedestal.

pedestalism:

1. Reverence for, idolization of, or adoration of a person to whom one is attracted.

2. The expectation of being revered by any who would dare to love oneself.

3. The tendency of members of one sex in a given culture or subculture to revere members of another sex, and any expectation that members of the other sex have of being revered.

Comment: Sometimes pedestalism is reversed. For instance, before marriage it may be the woman who is revered, after marriage the man.

See also adoration-lust, adore, Bridegroom Fallacy, dulia, Frauendienst, gyniolatry, husband worship, place on a pedestal, sex god, sex goddess, wife worship.

pedophile:

1. An adult who sexually molests one or more minors.

2. A post-pubescent person who is sexually attracted to pre-pubescent or early pubescent children.

See also jail bait, pederast, -philia, San Quentin quail.

pedophilia:

1. A psychological condition on the part of a post-pubescent person in which sexual arousal is dependent upon having a sex partner that is pre-pubescent or in early pubescence, either in reality or in the imagination.

2. A dominant and compelling sexual attraction to children.

See also ephebophilia, gerontophilia, nepiophilia, pederasty, -philia.

peer marriage:

A marriage (q.v.) in which the partners are on equal terms in relation to each other and in which the point is growth of the partners and cultivation of the relationship itself in a way that is free of significant secrets, that is welcoming of input from outside experiences, and that allows for openness with others.

See also new paradigm relating.

pellicacy:

The state of having a mistress or concubine.

Comment: From the Latin word, pellex ("concubine") or pellicatus ("a cohabiting with a kept mistress").

Source: "Glossary of Swedenborgian Terms," compiled by William Ross Woofenden, in: Emanuel Swedenborg: A Continuing Vision ..., edited by Robin Larsen ... [et al.]; introduction by George F. Dole (New York: Swedenborg Foundation, c1988): pp. [5121-517.

See also concubine, hetairism, kept woman, mistress.

x Latin terms.

penetration:

See double penetration, triple penetration.

pen pal:

1. A person with whom one corresponds in writing on a fairly regular basis, thereby forming and maintaining a friendly relationship.

2. A circumlocution for a prospective mail-order bride or prospective mail-order husband.

See also long-distance relationship, love letter, mail marriage, mail-order bride, mail-order husband, picture bride.

pentacle:

A love relationship that has one or more characteristics analogous to a five-pointed star, particularly a love relationship that has five members.

Comment: The five-pointed star is an occult, magical, or mystical symbol for some. Thus some people are particularly attracted to the idea of a pentacle made up of love partners and some are particularly repulsed.

See also letter group (A, F, K, M), moresome, pentad, pentangle, polygon, quadramory, quadrigamy.

pentad:

A love relationship comprised of five partners.

See also alternate relationship geometries, dyad, hexad, letter group (A, F, K, M), moresome, pentacle, pentangle, polygon, quadramory, quadrigamy, tetrad, triad.

pentamorist:

1. A person who is in love with five people at the same time or in a love relationship with each of five people at the same time.

2. A person who is particularly given to or has the particular potential for five love relationship partners at a time.

See also pentmory, polyamorist, quadramorist.

pentamorous:

1. Pertaining to loving five at one time.

2. Pertaining to above-board non-monogamy in which one person has five partners.

3. Particularly given to or having the particular potential for five love relationship partners at a time.

Comment: Absent in the dictionaries I've checked, but a natural permutation of the word "pentamorist," so here included.

See also -amory, pentamory, polyamorous, quadramorous.

 

pentamory:

A form of polyamory (q.v.) in which a person is in love with five people at the same time or in a love relationship with each of five people at the same time.

Comment: Absent in the dictionaries I've checked, but a natural permutation of the word "pentamorist," so here included.

See also -amory, hexad, InSix, letter group (H, xi, pi), partner sharing, pentamorist, pentamorous, polygon, quadramory, sextet.

pentangle:

A love relationship comprised of five partners.

See also letter group (A, F, K, M), moresome, pentacle, pentad, polygon, quad, quadramory, triangle.

x love pentangle.

pentapopemptic:

1. Pertaining to or characterized by five farewells.

2. Pertaining to or characterized by five divorces on the part of an individual.

Source: Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary of Unusual , Obscure, and Preposterous Words, gathered from numerous and diverse authoritative sources by Mrs. Byrne; edited, with an introduction by Mr. Byrne (Secaucus, N.J.: University Books [and] Citadel Press, c1974): p. 157.

See also apopemptic, divorced, polyapopemptic.

perambulating navy lists:

Women who shop for males among the sailors stopped in Malta.

Comment: So-called "for they know the seniority -- and pay -- of every officer of their acquaintance."

Reference
Sea Slang of the Twentieth Century: Royal Navy, Merchant Navy, Yachtsmen, Fishermen, Bargemen, Canalmen, Miscellaneous, by Wilfred Granville; introduction and etymologies by Eric Partridge (New York: Philosophical Library, 1950): s.v. "fishing fleet," p. 96.

See also fishing fleet.

perfect catch:

A person one considers, perhaps prospectively, an ideal mate.

See also catch, Dirty Harry syndrome, dream date, genicon, ideal, made for each other, man of (one's) dreams, match made in heaven, Miss Right, Miss Wonderful, Mister Right, Mister Wonderful, Ms. Right, person of (one's) dreams, Prince Charming, soul mate, template (for a lover), true love, true lover, white whale, woman of one's dreams.

perfume, as in "a perfume":

1. A fragrant liquid designed for light application to bits of clothing or to bits of the human body (in which case it combines with one's personal chemistry) in order to enhance one's olfactory appeal or at least engender some olfactory appeal.

2. A pleasant aroma.

Comments: Commonly perfumes are made from the essential oils of flowers and spices or are synthetically made.

Many people are sensitive or allergic to many a perfume given enough exposure, some being subject even to anaphylactic shock. A perfume that is on the low end of the spectrum in causing such reactions is called a hypoallergenic perfume. One that is on the high end is called hyperallergenic.

See also aphrodisiac, attraction, chemistry of love, elixir of love, love potion, philter, scent-free dating.

perfume, as in "to perfume":

To apply a fragrant liqid to one's clothing or body.

Pericope de Adultera (Latin):

"The pericope (book section) on the woman caught in adultery," which in most Bibles is located at John 7:53-8:11, but which is not original to that Gospel.

Comment: Generally, as a book section, a pericope is a cohesive unit.

See also adulteress, adultery, nonjudgmental, "was Jesus married" question (which see for discussion).

x Bible.

x Latin terms.

periodic alimony:

Alimony (q.v.) paid at intervals over a period of time determined by the court, the amount subject to revision according to the needs of the person receiving alimony and the ability of the other to pay.

periodization:

The segmentation of history per a grand scheme, for instance one that accounts for variations in what is considered moral, the polygyny of the Hebrews being perhaps the most prominent practice to account for.

Comment: The school of theology known as Dispensationalism employs a form of periodization whereby God is seen as working differently with humankind in different, theologically defined periods of history.

See also celibacy, compartmentalization, monogamy, "neither marry, nor are given in marriage," polygamy, polygyny, sexual morality.

Quotation from Roland H. Bainton Illustrating "Periodization"
[128] ... the Anabaptist movement in The Netherlands was confronted by the necessity for clarification. A conference to that end was held in the early fall of 1535 at Bocholt, where [David] Joris proved to be the most influential figure.... [129] The problem of polygamy was handled by a periodization of history. The first period was that of the Old Testament patriarchs marked by polygamy, the second that of the Son in the New Testament characterized by monogamy, and the third would be the age of the Spirit distinguished by celibacy. Thus the patriarchs were not condemned and polygamy was not condoned.
From: "The Heretic as Hypocrite: David Joris," chapter 5 of: The Travail of Religious Liberty: Nine Biographical Studies, by Roland H. Bainton (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, c1951): pp. [125]-148, specifically pp. 128-129.

permanent alimony:

Court-ordered payments for an ex-spouse during the course of his or her lifetime.

See also alimony.

permanent arrangement:

1. A mutual understanding or way of doing things that is meant to last long into indefinite future.

2. A marriage, domestic union, or some other committed love relationship that is meant to last long into the indefinite future.

See also arrangement, committed love relationship, domestic partnership, marriage.

Quotation from Cassandra King Illustrating "Permanent Arrangement"
Godwin shook his head. "Poor Celeste. Nothing's going to come of that, you know. Simms has had countless mistresses over the years, always flamboyant types; cocktail waitresses, go-go dancers, strippers. I hear he's good to them, taking them on trips, giving expensive gifts, and so forth. So Celeste'll get something out of it, if not a permanent arrangement. I can't see him and Libby ever divorcing, even though she's a rather cold woman, I suspect."
From the novel: The Sunday Wife, [by] Cassandra King (New York: Hyperion, c2002): p. 165.

perpetual virginity of Mary:

See Virgin Mary.

personal ad; plural, personals or personal ads:

1. An individual's published advertisement soliciting contacts to explore the possibility of starting a friendship or love relationship or of engaging in sexual relations.

2. Something a person says in a group which makes that person sound appealling to one or more others. This is generally a humorous sense. For instance, in a USENET newsgroup that bans personals, a person may say something appealling and receive a response like this: "Hey, no personals!"

Comments: Most of the abbreviations in the chart below are common; however, abbreviation lists vary from publication to publication.

Sometimes personals include sexually explicit abbrevations. Such abbreviations are not included below.

Abbreviations Sometimes Used In Personals Plus a Small Selection of Netspeak Abbreviations
A	Asian
AC/DC	Sexual activity with any sex enjoyed
Aqu	Aquarius
Ari	Aries
Asc	Ascendant or rising sign (in astrology)
ASL	Age, sex, location
b	boy, a male less than 13 years old
B	Black (in reference to a dark-skinned person of African descent)
BB	Bareback (that is, sex without a condom or other barrier), or bodybuilder
BBW	Big beautiful woman
B/D or B&D	Bondage and discipline (or dominance)
BDSM	Bondage & Discipline, Dominance & Submission, Sadism & Masochism
Bi	Bisexual
C	Christian
Can	Cancer (in astrology)
Cap	Capricorn
CC	Chubby chaser
CD or C/D	Crossdresser
CE	Casual encounter
CPL	Couple
D	Divorced
D&D free or D/D free	Drug and disease free
DDF or D/DF	Drug/disease free
Dom	Dominant male
Domme	Dominant female
D/s	Dominant/submissive, or Dominance/submission
DTE	Down to earth
f	A female at least 13 but less than 18 years old
F	A female, especially one 18 or over
Fet	Fetish
FTA	Fun travel adventure
FtM	Female-to-male transgender
F2F	Face to face (see also IRL)
g	girl, a female less than 13 years old
G	Gay
GBM	Gay black male
Gem	Gemini
GNOC	Get naked on camera (Netspeak)
GSOH	Good sense of humor
GWM	Gay white male

Abbreviations Sometimes Used In Personals (continued)
H	Hispanic
HBB	Hot Bi Babe (Bi = bisexual)
HNG	Horny Net geek
{{{hug}}}	A virtual hug in Netspeak; a type of cyberhug; variations include *hug* and (((hug)))
HWP	Height/weight proportionate
IR	Interracial
IRL	In real life (see also F2F)
ISO	In search of
J	Jewish
K	Kids
L	Lesbian
LD	Light drinker
LDR	Long distance relationship
LDS	Latter Day Saints (Mormon)
Lib	Libra
LL	Leather lover
LMIRL	Let's meet in real life (Netspeak)
LS	Legally separated, or Light smoker
LTR	Long term relationship, or Lifetime relationship
m	A male at least 13 but less than 18 years old
M	A male, especially one 18 or over; a man
MBA	Married but available, or Masters in Business Administration
MBC	Married black couple
MBiC	Married bisexual couple
mbl	Married but looking
MC	Midheaven (in astrology)
MIRL	Meet in real life (Netspeak)
MM	Marriage minded; or male/male couple, as in MM4W (two men looking for a woman)
MOTOS	Member of the other (or opposite) sex
MOTSS	Member of the same sex
M/P Switch	Mono/poly switch
MSM	Men seeking men, or Men who have sex with men
MSW	Men seeking women
MtF	Male-to-female transgender
MW	Man/woman couple, as in MW4W (man and woman looking for a woman)
MWC	Married white couple
NA	Native American
NBM	Never been married
ND or N/D	Non-drinker, No drinking, or No drugs
N/Drugs	No drugs
NIFOC	Naked in front of camera (Netspeak)
NK or N/K	No kids
NS or N/S	Non-smoker

Abbreviations Sometimes Used In Personals (continued)
P	Professional, or Parent
PA	Personal attachment, or Pleasing appendage
Par	Parent
Pis	Pisces
PMS	Please make snacks
PnP	Party and play (that is, drug use and sexual activities)
Poly	Polyamorous
P/P	Photo and phone number
PRON	Pornography (Netspeak, where deliberately misspelled to throw others off)
RL	Real life, as opposed to online
RP	Race and picture -- often follows ASL in parentheses: ASL (RP)
S	Single (never married) (see also SGL)
Sag	Sagitarius
S&M or SM or S/M	Sado-masochism
SASE	Self-addressed stamped envelope
SBF	Single black female
SBiF	Sngle bisexual female
SBM	Single black male
Sco	Scorpio
SD	Social drinker
SGL	Single (see also S)
SI	Similar interests
S/M or S&M	Sadism and masochism
SOH	Sense of humor
SP	Strictly platonic
STDs	Sexually transmitted diseases (generally replaces VDs)
STR	Straight
STR8	Straight
Sub	Submissive
SWF	Single white female
SWM	Single white male
SWNS	Sex with no strings attached
T	Ttransvestite (see also TV)
TAN	Tested Antibody Negative for HIV (AIDS)
Tau	Taurus
TDTM	Talk dirty to me (Netspeak)
TG	Transgender
TLC	Tender loving care
TS	Transexual
TV	Transvestite (see also T)
TWG	Transsexual with genitalia
UB2	You be too
VD	Venereal disease (see under STDs)
VGL	Very good looking
Vir	Virgo
W	In first position: Widowed. In second position: White. Example: WWF = Widowed white female
w/	With
WAA	Will answer all
WE or W/E	Well endowed
Wi	Widowed
WLTM	Would like to meet
WSM	Women seeking men
WSW	Women seeking women, or Women who have sex with women
WTR	Willing to relocate
WW	Woman/woman couple, as in WW4M (two women looking for a man)
YO	Years old
4	For, often short for "looking for" or "seeking"
4-real	For real, genuine, not into head-games
420 or 4:20	"Four-twenty": pot (marijuana) friendly
*  *	Used in Netspeak to indicate a virtual gesture or other bodily reaction, for example, *wrinkling brow*

See also alternative dating, chemistry, dating plan, dyadic notation, F, LDR, M, mbl, M/P switch, open-minded, polyamorous, romantic resumé, triadic notation, video dating, wink.

personal attachment (P.A.):

A naval officer's spouse, especially one who remains in the port where that officer's ship is stationed, that is, to which it is attached.

Source: Sea Slang of the Twentieth Century: Royal Navy, Merchant Navy, Yachtsmen, Fishermen, Bargemen, Canalmen, Miscellaneous, by Wilfred Granville; introduction and etymologies by Eric Partridge (New York: Philosophical Library, 1950): s.v. "P.A.," p. 173.

See also bundle man, fishing fleet, lanlady, owneress, P.A., partner, pleasing appendage, sloping billet, spouse, wife.

personalism:

1. A philosophy or theology that assigns preeminence to personhood, whether ontologically, morally, or otherwsie.

2. In ethics, more specifically: Recognition of persons as possessing transcendent value.

Comments: "Personalism" translates the word Personalismus, which is commonly attributed to the German theologian, Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834), who used the term in 1799.

Personalism is often contrasted with other positions or with encroachments upon persons, for instance, with pantheism, moral absolutism, or the domination of technology.

See also agapic love, devalue sex, ethics, sexual ethics, sexual morality, relationalism.

Quotation from Friedrich Schleiermacher Illustrating "Personalism"
Mehr Schein mögte es vielleicht haben, daß der Personalismus und die ihm entgegengesezte Pantheistische Vorstellungsart in der Religion uns zwei solche individuelle Formen derselben an die Hand gebe; aber Schein ist es doch auch nur.
It might have more the appearance that in religion personalism and the pantheistic type of representation opposed to personalism present us with two such individual forms of religion. But it is also merely appearance, after all.
The above German text is from: "Fünfte Rede: Über die Religionen," in: Über die Religion: Reden an die Gebildeten unter ihren Verächtern (1799), [von] Friedrich Schleiermacher; herausgegeben von Güunter Meckenstock (Berlin; New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2001; in series: De Gruyter Texte): pp. 235-312, specifically p. 256 (following the pagination of the 1799 edition given in the margin). The word "Personalismus" occurs once more in the paragraph from which the above sentence is quoted. Originally published, Berlin: Johann Friedrich Unger, 1799. The above English translation, which is of the 1799 edition, is from: "Fifth Speech: On the Religions," in: On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers, [by] Friedrich Schleiermacher; introduction, translation, and notes by Richard Crouter (Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988; in series: Texts in German Philosophy): pp. 189-223, specifically p. 198. The other two English translation are of the third edition (1821), in which the text of the paragraph differs considerably from the first edition. For the corresponding passages, see: On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers, [by] Friedrich Schleiermacher; translated by John Oman; with an introduction by Rudolf Otto (New York: Harper & Row, 1958; in series: Harper Torchbook. The Cloister Library; TB 36): p. 222; cf. p. 256, note 4. The Oman translation was first published in 1893. On Religion: Addresses in Response to Its Cultured Critics, [by] Friedrich Schleiermacher; translated, with introduction and notes, by Terrence N. Tice (Richmond, Va.: John Knox Press, c1969; in series: Research in Theology): p. 286; cf. pp. 325, note 4 and 369, note 35.

person I'm (or you're, or he's, or she's) with:

1. An individual whose company one is keeping for the time being.

2. The individual or an individual with whom one is in a love relationship.

See also involved with, lover.

person of (one's) dreams:

An individual who appears to fit the image of what one imagines to be an ideal mate for oneself.

See also demon-lover, dream date, fantasy life, ideal, lovemap, man of (one's) dreams, perfect catch, template (for a lover), woman of (one's) dreams.

person of opposite sex sharing living quarters:

See POSSLQ.

perverse:

Characterized by perversion (q.v.).

Quotation from Aldous Huxley Illustrating "Perverse"
[Mr. Scogan] "... The only century in which customs were not characterized by the same cheerful openness was the nineteenth, of blessed memory. It was the astonishing exception. And yet, with what one must suppose was a deliberate disregard of history, it looked upon its horribly pregnant silences as normal and natural and right; the frankness of the previous fifteen or twenty thousand | years was considered abnormal and perverse. It was a curious phenomenon."
From the novel: Crome Yellow, [by] Aldous Huxley (New York: Harper & Row, 1974; in publisher' series: Perennial Library; P 336): chapter 15, pp. 72-73. Originally published: London: Chatto & Windus, 1921; in the United States: Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page, 1922.

perversion:

1. A tendency towards or habitual preference for a sexual practice, sexual connection, or relationship style that does not meet someone's standard of acceptability or normality; or else:

2. Such a practice, connection, or relationship style itself; a deviation of sexual expression from what is considered by the speaker or someone the speaker is representing to be right or acceptable or normal.

3. Use of sexual activity as a means of violence.

4. A turning away from what is appropriate for a being, such as a human being, especially with regard to that being's sexuality and sexual relationships.

Comment: In the first two senses, this term is so heavily loaded that in much usage the content is null except to express or to indicate a prejudice or an insult. When neutral expression is sought, use instead something like "unusual sexual practice," or else specify.

See also active-passive split, degrading sex, illicit love, illicit relationship, inappropriate relationship, irregular connection, peccadillo, perverse, polymorphous perversity, porneia, sexual degradation, sexual immorality, sexual mores, sexual taboo, traditional morality, unnatural, unwelcome admixtures with sexuality.

Quotation from Ruth Dickson Illustrating "Perversion"
Monogamy is a true perversion of the human spirit ...
From: Married Men Make the Best Lovers, by Ruth Dickson (Los Angeles, Calif: Sherbourne Press, c1967): p. 133.

petite maison (French):

"Small house": a building maintained, in addition to a residence, to serve as a trysting place for lovers, ordinarily one of the lovers being an owner of the property.

See also honeymoon cottage, love-nest, love shack, temple of love, tryst.

x French terms.

Quotation from P. W. K. Stone Illustrating "Petites Maisons"
Fashionable society in the eighteenth century kept its clandestine rendezvous on its own property, in suburban villas known as petites maisons, which were maintained specially for the purpose.
From: Les Liaisons dangereuses, [by] Choderlos de Laclos; translated and with an introduction by P. W. K. Stone (Baltimore, Md.: Penguin Books, 1961; in: The Penguin Classics; L116): p. 41, translator's note 1.

petition of love:

1. A prayer or plea that compassion be shown to oneself or others.

2. An earnest request that a person recipocate one's romantic affections.

3. A courtship aimed at exciting a beloved's affection.

Comment: The Occitan word used by the medieval troubadours for a petition of love was prec (verb form: pregar).

See also courtship, love, love-suit, proceptive stage, reciprocated love.

x Occitan terms.

pet name:

An affectionate appelation that is used for a beloved or other loved one and that is different from the real name.

See also galapropism, re-naming, term of endearment.

petronalla (Italian):

A priest's mistress or concubine.

See also clericolagnia, concubine, gugusse, mistress, parnel, smellsmock.

x Italian terms.

petticoat despotism:

Domination by a woman, especially over her husband.

For a lexical example illustrating " Despotism of the Peticoat," see under "master."

See also ball-buster, petticoat government, under petticoat government, uxorodespotism.

x despotism of the petticoat.

petticoat government:

Rule by a woman, especially over her husband.

See also petticoat despotism, under petticoat government.

Quotation from Kati Marton Illustrating "Petticoat Government"
Eleanor [Roosevelt] was reluctant. She felt her appearance would smack of "petticoat government." It would harm the president [Franklin Delano Roosevelt] to have his wife seem to be making up his mind for him.
From: Hidden Power: Presidential Marriages That Shaped Our Recent History, [by] Kati Marton (New York: Pantheon Books, c2001): p. 75

phat:

1. Sexy, said of a woman.

2. Excellent; wonderful.

Comment: Various phrases have been constructed to turn this word into an acronym, among them, starting with what appears to be the most common one:

• Pretty, Hot, And Tempting (or Pretty Hot and Tempting).
  
• Perfect Hips And Thighs.
  
• PHysically ATtractive.
• Pretty, Hot, And Tasty (or sans commas).
  
• Pretty, Hot, And Tight (or sans commas).
  

See also attractive, f**kable, outer beauty, pulchritude, sexy, tottie.

phenomena:

See Michelangelo phenomenon.

pheromone:

See chemistry of love.

philander, as in "a philander":

1. A man who is regarded as one's love (q.v.) or lover (q.v.).

2. A dalliance (q.v.) in which a man is involved.

philander, as in "to philander":

1. To attempt to attract someone sexually and frivolously, said of a man.

2. To succeed in such an attempt.

See also come on to, flirt, hit on, make a pass at, make (a person) fall in love with, make love to, make-want, mercheta, put the mojo on, seduce, sexcapade, solicit, stud.

philanderer:

A man who engages in causal sex or frivolous seductive flirtation, especially one who makes a practice of doing so; roughly the male equivalent of a slut.

Comment: Generally "philanderer" is used as a pejorative term.

Not to be confused with either "panderer" or "pimp." See also agapet, bedhopper, cad, Casanova, casual sex, crumpet man, Don Juan, gay deceiver, general lover, God's gift to women, jock, Lothario, macadam, macadamo, make-out artist, merchetwr, multimitus, operator, pick up artist, player, promiscuity, rake, roué, satyr, serial philandering, sex maniac, sexual varietism, shark, skate, skirt-chaser, slut, smellsmock, stud, slut, wolf, womanizer.

-philia; adjective, -philic or -philous; person, -phile or -philiac:

The part of a word formation that means attraction to, tendency towards, intense desire for, obsessive desire for, arousal by, love of, admirer of, liking of, affinity for, or need for.

Comments: Generally "-philia," which is derived from Greek, is used in words to indicate a desire beyond what is usual, as in "Anglophilia." It is frequently used in psychology to indicate an abnormal tendency, especially a pathological tendency for which treatment is needed in order to restore a person to social compatibility and functionality. And it is sometimes used in social discourse to indicate a tendency towards a kind of action that is beyond the pale of what is considered acceptable behavior, as in "pedophilia."

The many nuances of meaning and the sliding scale of intensity in meaning often make it difficult to latch on to the precise sense of a "-philia" word, even with regard to many a technical term, unless the precise sense is made clear in context.

The combining forms "-philia" and "-phobia" are often used in contrasting pairs, although sometimes they are different aspects of the same condition.

See also androgynophilia, androphilia, ephebophilia, erotophilia, gerontophilia, gynophilia, love, microphily, multiphilia, nepiophilia, pedophile, pedophilia, polyiterophilia, zelophilia; and note some of the terms listed under "mixoscopia."

x Greek terms.

philogyneity:

Love of women.

See also androgynophilia, girl crazy, gynophilia, woman-keen.

philophobia:

Fear of love, either of falling in love or of being loved or both.

See also crystallophobia, in love, love, -phobia.

philter, or philtre:

A liquid, meant for drinking and used in the practice of magic, that supposedly has the property of exciting romantic attraction.

See also aphrodisiac, attraction, chemistry of love, elixir of love, love-juice, love potion, perfume.

-phobia; adjective, -phobic; person, -phobe:

The part of a word formation that means irrational fear of, dread of, or intense avoidance response to.

Comments. Since fear, at times, inspires hatred, this combining form is sometimes pressed into extended duty to cover hatred or motivations that typically have hateful results, as in "homophobia" (q.v.) and "polyphobia" (q.v.). The more appropriate combining form to indicate hatred is "miso-," as in "misogamy" (q.v.).

The ending, "-phobia," is derived from Greek and is often contrasted with "-philia" (q.v.). Making the necessary changes, the comments under "-philia" are equally applicable to "-phobia."

See also anuptaphobia, commitmentphobia, crystallophobia, erotophobia, gamophobia, genophobia, novercaphobia, philophobia, propinquiphobia, proximaphobia, vitricophobia; and note syngenesophobia (under "kinship").

x Greek terms.

phone sex partner:

A person with whom one engages in mutual erotic stimulation by way of telephone-to-telephone communication, especially a person with whom one engages in such activity repeatedly.

Comments: Typically sexual gratification is achieved by masturbating or engaging in body-to-body sexual activity with one or more other persons, who may take turns speaking to the phone sex partner on the telephone.

It is possible to engage in phone sex with several people simultaneously, for instance by use of speaker phones or teleconferencing technology.

See also alternative dating, cybersex partner, erotic connection, long-distance lover, partner, pillow talk, toothing.

x Telephone sex partner.

physical love:

See amour-physique.

physical relationship:

A relationship (q.v.) that includes intimate touches between partners, especially touching that is inclusive of sexual activity.

Contrast, for example, online relationship (q.v.). See also conjunction, erotic friendship, intimate relationship, sexual connection, sexual relationship, steamy relationship, X-rated relationship.

Quotation from Hilda Doolittle Illustrating "Physical Relationship"
All reasoning, normal, sane and balanced men and women need and seek at certain times of their lives, certain definite physical relationships. Men and women of temperament, musicians, scientists, artists especially, need these relationships to develop and draw forth their talents. Not to desire and make every effort to develop along these natural physical lines, cripples and dwarfs the being. To shun, deny and belittle such experiences is to bury one's talent carefully in a napkin.
From: Notes on Thought and Vision & The Wise Sappho, by H.D. (San Francisco: City Lights Books, 1982): p. 17. Written in 1919 and published posthumously.

Quotation from Gail Sheehy Illustrating "Physical Relationship"
Alicia began getting calls from a number of different men, all of whom she had known before, sometimes for decades. "They'd never put out any feelers, but of course, neither did I." She began going out for evenings with them -- no physical relationship, just a kiss hello and good night -- but they were good companions and very attentive.
From: Sex and the Seasoned Woman: Pursuing the Passionate Life, [by] Gail Sheehy (New York: Random House, c2006): p. 295.

picket-fence poly:

See white-picket-fence polyamory.

pickup, pick-up, or pick up (PU):

1. A person one happened to meet and spent time with, especially if this meeting led to a casual sexual encounter.

2. The act or art of finding, meeting, and attracting a desirable person with whom to engage in sexual activity.

Comment: Some find this term derogatory, since it seems to imply to them some sort of inequity in moral responsibility. Some also find it sexist, since, even though it is not a gender-specific term, it tends to be used, in the first sense, most often by men of women and, in the second sense, chiefly of activity on the part of some males.

See also casual sex, cockblock, conquest, dalliance, escapade romantique, fling, FMAC, nanpa, one-night stand, partner, prospect, PU, road beef, stranger sex, target, zipless f***.

pick up:

To go through the process of finding, meeting, and attracting a person with whom one would like to have sex, and then closing, that is, bringing that person to a point of committing either to sexual relations on the spot or to a track that has a good chance of leading to casual sex in the near future.

See also casual sex, chippy, cruise, FMAC, macademizar, pickup, pick-up joint, scamming, seduce, solicit, stud, womanize.

pick up artist, or pick-up artist (PUA):

A person who is adept at finding, meeting, and attracting desirable people with whom to engage in sexual activity.

Comment: In usual usage (at least, in my observation), the term refers to a man; but the term itself is gender neutral.

Skill Stages Relative to the Pick Up Artist
Skill Stage	Abbreviation	Comments
Way below average frustrated chump / chick	WBAFC	A person who is spectacularly poor at approaching a potential sex partner.
Below average frustrated chump / chick	BAFC	A person who is poor at approaching a potential sex partner.
Average frustrated chump / chick	AFC	The typical person who bumbles at trying to approach a potential sex partner, but who, from time to time, might be successful at it anyway. Be careful: In some contexts, AFC means something else, such as, "a fine catch."
Recovering average frustrated chump / chick, at inception	rAFC	A person who has become conscious of being an AFC and who is working on the idea of becoming a pick up artist.
Recovering average frustrated chump / chick	RAFC	A person upon deciding to become a pick up artist and setting out on the path to acquire the pertinent skills.
Green pick up artist	GPUA	A person who is acquiring the basic skills of a pick up artist. Sometimes this term is used in place of RAFC.
Pick up artist	PUA	A person accomplished at pickups.
Pick up master	PUM	A PUA who has honed his or her skills to a recognizably high level.
Pick up guru	PUG	A PUA who has acquired a reputation as a highly skilled PUA and who passes his or her skills on to others.
Derived in large part from: "Common Acronyms / Slang Used on alt.seduction.fast." See especially under rAFC / RAFC. The document was found at http://fastseduction.com/acronyms.shtml

Contrast target (q.v.). See also agapet, bedhopper, Casanova, code, crumpet man, dating plan, Don Juan, Don Juaness, flirt-gill, gay deceiver, giglet, God's gift to women, güila, hoe, hoochie, ladies' man, lady-killer, lothariette, Lothario, loverboy, lovertine, macadam, macadamo, make-out artist, masher, Messalina, multimitus, nymphomaniac, operator, philanderer, pick up artist, player, promiscuity, PUA, rake, roué, satyr, seducer, seductress, serial philandering, sex maniac, sexual varietism, shark, she-wolf, skirt-chaser, slut, smellsmock, stud, tart, tramp, wanton woman, wolf, womanizer.

pick-up joint:

A place, ordinarily a building, where one often has opportunities to meet people of complementary sexual orientation either to arrange a date or for a spontaneous date.

Comment: Singles bars and gay bars are perhaps most commonly thought of as pick-up joints. However, all sorts of other places are often used as such, from religious meeting houses to coffee shops, grocery stores, laundromats, museums, and sports arenas. Sometimes specialty shops are used as pick-up joints for people looking for others with similar interests -- a bookstore for bookish people (the science fiction section for sci-fi fans, for instance), a computer store for computer geeks, and so forth.

See also attraction venue, date, dating plan, gay bar, meat market, open party, pick up, singles bar, singles party.

pick-up line, or pickup line:

A remark, commonly a prepared remark, used in order to initiate contact with a person of a complementary sexual orientation, contact that might lead to a sexual encounter.

See also approach invitation, chat-up line, come-on, flirtation, opening line, proposition.

x line.

picture bride:

A mail-order bride who was chosen at least partly on the basis of a photograph of her.

Comment: There was a movie called "Picture Brides" (1934), directed by Phil Rosen; starring Regis Toomey, Alan Hale, and Dorothy Mackaill.

See also bride, mail marriage, mail-order bride, pen pal.

pigsney:

A term of endearment for a girl.

Source: Samuel Johnson's Dictionary: Selections from the 1755 Work that Defined the English Language, edited by Jack Lynch (Delray Beach, Fla.: Levenger Press, c2002).

See also term of endearment.

pillow book:

1. A type of commonplace book, one composed of sundry jottings such as might appear in a personal journal.

2. An erotic journal.

Comments: The pillow book (in the first sense) apparently originated in Japan, the most famous example being that of Sei Shōnagon, entitled Makura no Sōshi (Notes of the Pillow), which was completed ca. 1002. The pillow book was the forerunner of the Japanese genre known as zuihitsu ("occasional writings").

The term supposedly derives from keeping notes, occasional writings, and such in the drawers of a wooden pillow. Apparently the close association of pillows with beds and of beds with sexual activity brought the term into use in the second sense.

See also discourse of desire, erotic journal, erotographomania, love-book.

x book.

x Japanese terms.

pillow dictionary:

A lover from whom one learns a foreign language; someone who gives language lessons and collects the "fee" in bed.

See also lover.

pillow talk:

1. Conversation between lovers or spouses, especially in bed.

2. Intimate conversation similar to the preceding.

Comment: The term is often used to connote either amorous dialog or the sharing of confidences.

See also baby talk, Caudle lecture, curtain lecture, express love, intimacy, intimate talk, love letter, love-prate, obscene language, obscene words, phone sex partner, sweet talk.

x talk.

pilot light lover:

A transitional figure who reignites a person's capacity for love and sex in midlife.

Comments: The above definition follows fairly closely that given by Gail Sheehy, except that she speaks of it reigniting a woman's capacity.

The pilot light metaphor comes from gas stoves and gas boilers in which a small gas flame needs to be lit before a burner can be ignited.

See also lover, transitional affair.

Quotation from Gail Sheehy Illustrating "Pilot Light Lover"
The Pilot Light Lover rarely lasts. He may be a married man disguised as single, or a great lover but unsuitable life partner -- but so what? After the heartache wears off, a woman who is on her way to becoming seasoned should be able to celebrate the Pilot Light Lover's role in her journey.
From: Sex and the Seasoned Woman: Pursuing the Passionate Life, [by] Gail Sheehy (New York: Random House, c2006): p. 125.

pimp for:

1. To manage and promote prostitution or, by analogy, a discreditable operation, for personal profit on behalf of.

2. To find a sex partner for, as when a person secures a lover for his or her spouse.

Comment: Generally used pejoratively.

See also candaulism, cuckold, intellectual pimp, pimps and hoes party, share (one's partner) with, wittol.

Quotation from John Updike Illustrating "Pimping For"
[Freddy] "... Let's face it, Angela. You married a bastard. A bully boy. He's pimping for you. He's got you so intimidated you'll shack up with anybody he tells you to."
From the novel: Couples, [by] John Updike (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1968; "A Borzoi Book"): p. 370.

pimps and hoes party:

A social gathering where some (typically the females) dress suggestively, like hookers, and others (typically the males) dress gaudily, like their managers.

Comment: There are many variations on the term, for instance, "pimp & hoes party."

See also hoe, pimp for.

x party.

pin:

To give a woman one's fraternity or dormitory pin and to have it accepted and worn, thereby announcing to the community a level of mutual commitment somewhere between going steady and near-engagement.

See also become engaged, betroth, college sweetheart, go steady, hook up, pinning.

pine away:

To waste away due to intense longing or grief.

See also aeipathy, desperate, grieve, heartache, let go, pine for, withdrawal anguish.

pine for:

To yearn or long for (someone or something) intensely, for instance, to pine for somebody with whom one is in love but who continues to be absent.

See also cri de coeur, desperate, ghosts of relationships past, heartache, in love, limerence, loneliness, lonely heart, lovelorn, love withdrawal, long for, miss, partner in love, over, pine away, saudade, torch, unrequited love, withdrawal anguish, yearn for.

Pinkerton syndrome:

A favoring by some Asians, especially Asian Singaporeans, of Caucasians over people of other races, for instance to pursue as marital partners; an Asian or, often more specifically, a Singaporean fetish for Caucasians.

Comment: Named after the character Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton in the opera "Madama Butterfly" (1904) by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924). In the opera, Pinkerton, an American naval officer, marries a Japanese girl known as Butterfly. He travels to America and is away for three years, while Butterfly bears his child and faithfully awaits his return. When he does return, it is with a new wife, an American. Butterfly, after learning the truth, then kills herself.

See also amejo, Eurasian couple, interracial marriage, kokujo, sarong party girl.

x syndromes.

pinning:

The custom whereby a man gives a woman his fraternity or dormitory pin for her to wear, thereby announcing to the community that they have a level of commitment to each other, which may fit anywhere between going steady and near-engagement. Customarily the pin would be returned upon a break-up.

See also college sweetheart, engagement, pin, serious, trans-conference marriage.

pi supuhui (Ulithi language):

A holiday set aside for mate swapping (q.v.).

See also break, holiday from marriage, marriage sabbatical, partner sharing, separate vacations, vacation from marriage.

x Ulithi terms.

Quotation from Helen E. Fisher on Pi Supuhui
On the balmy islands of Ulithi in the western Pacific, the Micronesian fishing people make love every day. Periodically they call a holiday known as pi supuhui, or 'a hundred pettings.' On this day or night individuals pair up and go into the woods to relax, picnic, and make love. Married couples cannot go together, and lovers are encouraged to pick a different partner. If the number of participants is unequal, a man or woman is shared. Even the children pick friends and play at hugging and caressing one another.
From: The Sex Contract: The Evolution of Human Behavior, [by] Helen E. Fisher (New York: William Morrow, 1982): p. 22.

pit lizard:

A person, generally a woman, who sexually pursues, in particular, race-car drivers or members of their crews; a motor-racing groupie.

Comments: The term is often associated with events of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). "Pit" refers to the pit road along a race track where stock cars are serviced.

All uses and definitions of the term that I've seen have made the term apply to females only, however there is nothing necessarily gendered about the term itself.

See also groupie.

pity date:

A social activity in the company of a person of complementary sexual orientation, wherein one of the parties is there with the other chiefly out of feeling sorry for the other, for instance, because of unattractiveness or having been overlooked, dumped, or neglected.

See also date, Sadie Hawkins Day.

pivot point:

The hinge (q.v.) in a vee (q.v.).

See also biamory, letter group (V), notr'amour.

place on a pedestal, or put on a pedestal:

To regard (a human being) as divine, heroic, perfect, or beyond criticism; to give reverence (to someone) beyond what is due.

See also admire, adoration-lust, adore, Bridegroom Fallacy, dulia, Frauendienst, gyniolatry, husband worship, pedestalism, princesse lointaine, sex god, sex goddess, wife worship, worship one's spouse.

Beyond the scope of this Glossary: heraism (for which see the Encyclopaedia Sexualis, 1936).

x pedestal.

x put on a pedestal.

plain Jane:

A woman or girl who is not, at the moment or during the period spoken of, remarkable for beauty, glamour, or attractiveness; a human female who is ordinary in appearance.

Comment: The term is sometimes used as a euphemism for a female whose appearance is thought repulsive, especially to many a male, and not readily fixable, as in, "She's a plain Jane, poor girl." On the other hand, it is sometimes used to imply a moderate level of attractiveness, such as the "girl next door" might have when working in her garden, that is, while wearing gardening clothes and without make-up.

See also attraction, Dear Jane letter, girl next door, Lady Jane, married all over, mary jane.

planned marriage:

1. An impending wedding, to which the parties have agreed.

2. A marriage (q.v.) that is the result of the following process:

• Individuals correspond, meet, and, possibly, date with the intention of considering each other for marital partners, ordinarily after having gone through a selection process that takes account of their preferences.
• Thereupon they decide whether marriage is likely and so whether or not to continue on track towards marriage.

Commonly planned marriage, in this sense, is contrasted with arranged marriage, since each of the principals plays a central part in the choice of a mate; and it is contrasted with love marriage, since the individuals meet with the predetermined intention of considering each other for marriage.

Contrast love marriage (q.v.). See also arranged marriage, marriage of reason, mate selection.

platonic friendship:

See platonic relationship.

platonic love:

1. A keen interest in a young member of the same sex, especially with a view to the mutual appreciation and enjoyment of each other's minds through dialog, rather than with a carnal end in mind.

2. A communion of souls without sexual relations.

Comments: The term is an allusion to Plato's Symposium. Sometimes the term "Socratic love" is used instead, Socrates being the major figure in the Symposium.

Consult the appropriate style manual to determine whether or not to capitalize the "P" thusly: "Platonic love."

See also amor platonicus, amour de tête, love, heterosexual friendship, male-female friendship, platonic relationship.

x amore socraticus.

x Socratic love.

Quotation from Edward Gibbon Illustrating "Platonic Love"
The relation of a brother and a sister, especially if they do not marry, appears to me of a very singular nature. It is a familiar and tender friendship with a female, much about our own age; an affection perhaps softened by the secret influence of sex, but pure from any mixture of sensual desire, the sole species of platonic love that can be indulged with truth, and without danger.
From: The Autobiography of Edward Gibbon, [edited by Oliphant Smeaton] (London: J. M. Dent, [1911]; in series: Everyman's Library): p. 21. Gibbon's dates: 1737-1794. Evidently the autobiography was first edited by John Baker Holroyd, Earl of Sheffield, as part of The Miscellaneous Works of Edward Gibbon, Esq. (1796; new edition, with considerable additions, 1814). The Dent edition is based upon: Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Edward Gibbon, Esq., composed by himself and illustrated by and from his letters and journal; with occasional notes and narrative by John Lord Sheffield (London: Hunt and Clarke, 1827).

platonic relationship:

A close relationship (q.v.) that might, perhaps, be expected to include sexual relations, for instance, between a man and a woman or between two gay members of the same sex, but which does not; a relationship that entails deep love but without indulgence of physical desire, if present.

Comment: Also called a platonic frienship.

See also heterosexual frienship (which see for a lexical example), intellectual whore, liaison platonique, male-female friendship, office husband, office wife, platonic love, Sunday husband, work husband, workplace spouse, work spouse, work wife.

x platonic friendship.

play, as in "a play":

See make a play for.

play around:

1. Engaging in one or more extramarital affairs (q.v.).

2. Engaging in foreplay.

See also affair, carry on, commit adultery, extramarital affair, extramarital sex, extramural sexual affair, fool around, out-of-marriage love affair, run astray, sleep around, stud, tip, yard on.

playboy:

A man who devotes himself to the pursuit of sensual pleasure, especially by way of women.

See also agapet, crumpet man, jock, ladies' man, multimitus, playgirl, playmate, smellsmock, womanizer.

playcouple (Lifestyles Organization, 1993):

A couple that participates in swinging or that is sympathetic to swinging; a couple that enjoys open eroticism and sensuality.

See also lifestyler, swinger.

playdar:

1. The ability to discern, especially in non-sexual settings, people who are active in seeking out encounters for casual sex; the partly intuitive, partly cultivated ability to spot swingers and players.

2. The specially attuned ability some swingers have to spot other swingers.

Comment: A portmanteau word: play + radar.

See also gaydar, limbic resonance, player, swinger.

x -dar.

player:

1. A person who participates in sexual activity promiscuously as a sport.

2. A person who hits on people as a sport; a pick up artist.

See also casual sex, hit on, macadam, macadamo, multimitus, operator, philanderer, pick up artist, playdar, promiscuity, recreational sex, seducer, shark, smellsmock, slut.

play-fellow:

A sex partner (q.v.).

See also bed-fellow, partner, playmate.

Quotation from William Shakespeare Illustrating "Play-fellow"
GOWER. ... The beauty of this sinful dame Made many princes thither frame, To seek her as a bed-fellow, In marriage-pleasures play-fellow.
From: William Shakespeare, Pericles (circa 1607-1608): Act 1, lines 31-34.

playgirl:

A woman who devotes herself to the pursuit of sensual pleasure, especially by way of men.

See also box of assorted creams, dolly, Friday night girl, minx, multicipara, playboy, playmate, slut, whore.

play hard to get:

1. To make oneself seem difficult to attain for a person interested in establishing a love relationship or in marrying, typically in order to heighten one's value in the eyes of the other.

2. To be resistant to sexual encounters, typically in order not to seem like a slut in the eyes of others or to heighten a potential partner's interest in a serious love relationship as opposed to casual sex.

Comment: Critics of culture sometimes point out that for a female to play hard to get plays into a double standard, namely, the dubious notion that it is the male role to induce the female to have sex with him and that it is her role to resist. In the words of Dossie Easton and Katherine A. Liszt:

"Our cultural myth is that the man in a heterosexual transaction pleads with or cons or bullies the woman into saying 'yes,' or at least refraining from saying 'no,' and then does whatever he thinks is appropriate. Women need to equalize here, to do more of the choosing, to know what it is that we enjoy and to be able to say what we want in no uncertain terms to whomever we find attractive."

Reference
The Ethical Slut: A Guide to Infinite Sexual Possibilities, [by] Dossie Easton & Catherine A. Liszt (San Francisco, CA: Greenery Press, c1997): p. 244.

See also court, double standard, flirt, proceptive phase, romance, Rules Girl, Tao of Steve, three-date rule, woo.

x hard to get.

x myth.

playmate:

A person, especially one of a different sex, by whom one achieves a measure of sexual gratification and with whom one has little more.

See also Friday night girl, playboy, play-fellow, playgirl.

play the ape:

1. To imitate a tailess primate of the family Pongidae.

2. To trick someone.

3. To lead a sexually immoral life, that is, to engage in sexual behavior that falls below certain standards expected of human beings, typically said of men.

See also ape leader, lead apes in hell, promiscuity.

play the field:

1. To date a variety of potential sex or love relationship partners without committing to any, this for the time being.

2. To practice promiscuous sexual behavior, especially in the absence of or while detached from a spouse or love relationship partner.

See also date around, free agent, mate sampling, out-paramour, promiscuity, shark, sleep around, stud, swingle.

play with fire:

1. To enter into or to continue in a relationship that entails great risk, beyond ordinary relationship risks, to oneself or to someone one loves.

2. To engage in practices that could put one's marriage or love relationship(s) at risk.

3. To arouse sexual passions without seriousness, especially in such a way that entails a risk of serious effect.

See also abuse, blue ball, extramarital sex, flirt.

Quotation from D. H. Lawrence Illustrating "Playing with Fire"
In the shed they [Ursula Brangwen and Anton Skrebensky] played at kisses, really played at kisses. It was a delicious, exciting game. She turned to him, her face all laughing, like a challenge. And he accepted the challenge at once. He twined his hand full of her hair, and gently, with his hand wrapped round with hair behind her head, gradually brought her face nearer to his, whilst she laughed breathless with challenge, and his eyes gleamed with answer, with enjoyment of the game. And he kissed her, asserting his will over her, and she kissed him back, asserting her deliberate enjoyment of him. Daring and reckless and dangerous they knew it was, their game, each playing with fire, not with love.
From the novel: The Rainbow, by D. H. Lawrence (New York: B. W. Huebsch, c1915, 1921 printing): chapter 11, p. 284.

pleasing appendage (P.A.):

1. An attached part considered delightful becuase of its form or function or the way it's used.

2. A naval officer's wife, especially one who remains in the port where her husband's ship is stationed.

3. A penis.

Comment: Generally speaking, one would be wise to avoid calling a wife an appendage.

Source for the second sense: Sea Slang of the Twentieth Century: Royal Navy, Merchant Navy, Yachtsmen, Fishermen, Bargemen, Canalmen, Miscellaneous, by Wilfred Granville; introduction and etymologies by Eric Partridge (New York: Philosophical Library, 1950): s.v. "P.A.," p. 173.

See also bundle man, fishing fleet, lanlady, owneress, P.A., partner, personal attachment, sloping billet, wife.

pledge troth:

See plight troth.

plight troth:

To pledge fidelity, especially as a prelude to marriage; to betroth.

See also betroth, troth.

x pledge troth.

plunge:

See take the plunge.

pluralism of marriage patterns:

As an acceptable norm, a variety of forms of marital union besides that of one man to one woman bound to each other exclusively till death parts them.

Comment: Apart from being a norm, the term would become "plurality of marriage patterns."

See also alternate relationship geometries, group marriage, lovestyle, multilateral marriage, non-monogamy, polyamory, polygon.

plural marriage:

A marriage (q.v.) in which a man has two or more wives, especially as has been practiced by Mormons.

See also Celestial Marriage, cohab, multiple marriage, non-monogamy, plural wife, polygyny, spiritual marriage, spiritual wifery.

plural wife:

One of the women in a plural marriage.

See also Celestial Marriage, cohab, co-spouse, co-wife, father's wife, harem, junior wife, lesser wife, patriarchal marriage, plural marriage, polygynist, primary wife, rival, second wife, secondary wife, senior wife, sister-wife, wife.

plus one:

1. And, besides oneself, a guest or companion or escort, as in, "The invitation is for the recipient plus one."

2. As a substantive, the guest or companion or escort that one is allowed to bring to an event by invitation, when the invitation says, for instance, "The invitation is for the recipient and one guest" or "Invitation admits two persons." Example: "He's my plus one for the party."

3. By extension, any companion.

See also arm candy, cavalier, companion, date, escort, partner.

PMR:

Poly mixed relationship (q.v.).

poach:

To invade the sexual hunting grounds of another, especially where the other has a reason to be able to claim first dibs, for instance, by dint of an already developing relationship; to present competition for a potential lover who has not been declined by somebody closer.

See also intrasexual competition, marriage market, mate guarding, mate poaching.

Quotation from Ruth Dickson Illustrating "Poach"
[With regard to a female secretary's boss] It isn't fair to poach on the territory of another single girl.
From: Married Men Make the Best Lovers, by Ruth Dickson (Los Angeles, Calif: Sherbourne Press, c1967): p. 38.

poet of love:

1. A composer of verses, the corpus of which has as one of its major themes romantic affections or love in some other sense.

2. Any particular composer of verses who is often so designated. Preeminent examples include:

• of writers in Greek: Sappho (d. ca. 570 B.C.E.);
• of writers in Latin: Tibullus (ca. 54-19 B.C.E.), Propertius (d. 15 B.C.E.), and Ovid (43 B.C.E-17 or 18 C.E.);
• of writers in Persian: Rumi (1207-1273) and Hafez (1315-1390);
• of writers in French: Pierre de Ronsard (1524-1585);
  
• of writers in English: John Donne (1572-1631), Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), and Robert Browning (1812-1889);
  
• of writers in German: Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926); and,
  
• of writers in Spanish: Pablo Neruda (1904-1973).
  

Comments: Ovid has been called vates Veneris, that is, a bard of Venus or, more abstractly, a bard of love (some translate: prophet of Venus). He used the term vates of both Tibullus and himself at Amores 3.9.5, 17.

See also love, love poetry, priest of love, prophet of love, theologian of romantic love.

x bard of Venus.

x Latin terms.

x love poet.

x vates Veneris.

poing, as in "a poing announcement":

1. A bounce, especially a light or exuberant one. Associated (originally?) with the ferret character, Kiki, in Peter Abrams Web comic, "Sluggy Freelance." (See, the strip of December 18, 1997, where the word is "Boing" and the strip of January 3, 1998, where the word is "Poing.")

2. Pertaining to a special moment of delight during the development or course of a love relationship, or to being wowed by another in such a way as to draw one further into a relationship. (Derived from the first sense.)

3. A common typo for "point," given the "qwerty" keyboard (where the "g" is just below the "t"), hence a playful term for "point," as in, "The poing of this meeting is ..."

Comment: Sometimes, especially in online discussion, the word "poing" (in the second sense) will be placed between asterisks to indicate a nonverbal reaction. For example: "Then, you know what? *Poing* She told me she loves me!" However, yet another sense of the term -- one which, so far as I know, is even more esoteric -- is "rapid erection"; so users of the term had best make their meaning clear in or by context.

See also frubbilicious, frubbly, synletitious.

poing, as in "to poing" or "poinging":

1. To bounce.

2. To have a surprising or an especially poignant bounce of delight during the development or course of a love relationship, as when two people discover that they love each other. (Derived from the first sense.)

3. To be wowed by another in such a way as to want to pursue or continue a love relationship. (Derived from the first sense.)

See also frubble, hook up.

political marriage:

1. A marriage arranged as a matter of statecraft.

2. A marital partnership that is, at least for a while, oriented towards (a) involvement, on the part of at least one of the partners, in governing or (b) fulfilling ambitions towards that end; a marital union dominated by the acquisition and exercise of governmental power; a marital union at the beck and call of public service, especially elective public service.

3. A close-knit alliance between politicians, for example, between President Ronald Reagan of the United States and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain in the 1980s.

Comment: The line between what is and is not a political marriage in the second sense is hazy. In the United States, the marriage of either an elected official or a political appointee might be regarded as a political marriage, the more definitely so the more the marriage is in the public eye and the more involved each of the partners is in politics.

See also alliance, arranged marriage, bedroom politics, Lady Macbeth syndrome, marriage, marry for politics, marry office wife, out of duty, power couple, widows' club.

politics:

See bedroom politics, marry for politics.

poly:

1. Short for polyamory (q.v.).

2. Short for polyamorous (q.v.).

3. Short for polyamorous person.

Contrast mono (q.v.). See also genetic poly.

poly-:

1. A prefix meaning multiple.

2. A prefix for words related to polyamory (q.v.).

polyactivist:

An advocate for the social acceptance of non-monogamous lovestyles (q.v.).

See also apolygist, polygamophile, sex radical, utopian swinging.

polyamorist:

1. A person who loves romantically more than one person at the same time and is open to them about loving more than one; a polyamorous person.

2. A person who practices non-monogamy (q.v.).

Contrast double mono (q.v.) and monoamorist (q.v.). See also -amory, bevy of beloveds, biamorist, bi poly switch, cadre of beloveds, collector, condo cowboy, co-primary, covey of lovers, ethical slut, hot bi babe, juggler, lifestyler, metamour, non-monogamist, pankoitist, pentamorist, polyamorite, polyamour, polycompadre, polydom, polygamist, polyhood, primary partner, quadramorist, secondary partner, tertiary partner, triamorist.

polyamorite:

1. Participant in or reader of a group whose focus is the discussion of polyamory.

2. A person who loves romantically more than one person at the same time and is open to them about loving more than one; a polyamorous person.

3. A person who practices non-monogamy (q.v.).

Comment: In general usage, the word "polyamorist" is usually preferred for the last two senses. In reference to a specific group, polyamorite is sometimes preferred, for instance, alt.polyamorites for contributors to and readers of the USENET newsgroup, alt.polyamory. Monoamorists who participate in such groups will sometimes be called, quite properly, polyamorites, but not polyamorists.

See also bi poly switch, cadre of beloveds, lifestyler, non-monogamist, ObPoly, polyamorist, polyamour, polycompadre.

polyamorous, or poly for short (Morning Glory Zell):

1. Pertaining to loving more than one at a time.

2. Pertaining to above-board non-monogamy.

3. Given to or having the potential for more than one love relationship partner at a time.

Comment: The term is sometimes used loosely, especially in personal ads (q.v.), for instance:

• as a euphemism for "sexually non-monogamous";
• as a euphemism for "wants to be sexually non-monogamous";
• vaguely, to mean, "looking for an open relationship";
• to suggest, "my dating has been approved by partner";
• as indicative of a subtext meaning, "I want to break out of bounds whether doing so is partner-approved or not";
• to mean, "date me, and I have one or more partners who may become somehow involved too;"
• to mean ,"date me, bring somebody for my partner(s) too"; or,
• to indicate, "terms of any relationship are to be negotiated, not necessarily along conventional lines."

For lexical example, see under "slutdom."

Contrast double mono (q.v.), monamorous (q.v.), and monoamorous (q.v.). See also alternative dating, -amory, biamorous, bipoly-, bi-poly, bi poly switch, genetic poly, mono/poly relationship, multirelational, open relationship, pentamorous, poly, polyamory, polyandrous, polygamous, polygynous, poly/poly relationship, quadramorous, sexually non-monogamous, triamorous.

polyamorous relationship:

A prerequisite being that each partner is aware of any other(s), one of the following situations:

• A loving, intimate relationship between two people, at least one of whom has at least one other partner.
• A loving, intimate relationship betwen three or more people.
• A loving, intimate relationship between two or more people within a poly web.

See also love relationship, open relationship, n-tuple, polyamory, polyrelationship.

polyamory, or poly for short:

1. Romantically loving more than one at a time, especially where the desire is to be above board with those one loves about the other loves.

2. Responsible non-monogamy; non-deceiving non-structurally chauvinistic non-monogamy; acting upon loving plurally with openness about other loves to each that one loves, especially in a socially egalitarian context.

Comments: Coinage of the term "polyamory" is attributed sometimes to Otter G'Zell and sometimes to Jennifer Wesp, who founded the USENET newsgroup alt.polyamory on May 29, 1992. Some assert that the term was coined independently by several different people. There have been reports that it was in oral use as early as the 1960s.

Sometimes the term is used more broadly to cover a desire for multiple loves or an acceptance of non-monogamy.

Polyamory is associated with non-sexism and respect for individual autonomy; and this is one of the ways in which it differs from polygamy, which tends to be associated with unequal standing of the sexes.

Although engaging in sexual activity with more than one -- not necessarily or even typically at the same time -- will often be an expression of polyamory, polyamory is about love and so is to be distinguished from things that focus chiefly on sexual activity, such as swinging in some senses of the term (the first two senses given). Polyamory is about loving more than one and might or might not involve sex, whereas swinging is about sex with others in addition to one's partner and might or might not entail emotional connections.

The term is often used synonymously with "ethical non-monogamy."

Translation into Arabic suggested by a reader: ta`addud al-ahbaab = "multiplicity of beloveds." See message from Umar (July 26, 2002), in the thread entitled "For Word Lovers," on the USENET newsgroup, alt.polyamory.

The Portuguese form of the word is poliamor.

For further relevant comment, see under "polyamorous."

Contrast especially monamory (q.v.) and monoamory (q.v.). See also abundant love principle, alternate relationship geometries, -amory, apolygist, apolygy, biamory, "Communicate, communicate, communicate," community, compersion, compreciation, cuddle circle, de facto polygamy, ethical non-monogamy, extramarital love affair, friends-first swinging, frubbliness, group love relationship, group marriage, heart-swapping, inclusive relationship, in love, intermarital sex, juggle hearts, letter group, the lifestyle, love-ends-interest-in-others myth, love more than one person at a time, lovestyle, love tangle, MLTR, MLTR², mono/poly switch, more evolved, multiple long-term relationships, Multiple Loves Corollary to Murphy's Law, new adultery, non-monogamy, ObPoly, oot, open couple, out-of-marriage love affair, pair dating, pankoity, partner sharing, pentamory, pluralism of marriage patterns, poly, poly-, polygamy, polyist, radical love, several words beginning with poly-, polyfuckery, polykoity, proto-poly, quadramory, sexual nonexclusivity, share (one's) favors, share (one's partner) with, slutstyle, spice, spiritual polyamory, swing, synletitia, Three Ways, triamory, tribal marriage, utopian swinging, vicarious relationship high, white-picket-fence polyamory.

x Arabic terms.

x Portuguese terms.

Quotation from Richard Dawkins Illustrating "Polyamory"
From the point of view of a man, say, it is unlikely that any one woman of his acquaintance is a hundred times more lovable than her nearest competitor, yet that is how he is likely to describe her when 'in love'. Rather than the fanatically monogamous devotion to which we are susceptible, some sort of 'polyamory' is on the face of it more rational. (Polyamory is the belief that one can simultaneously love several members of the opposite sex, just as one can love more than one wine, composer, | book or sport.) We happily accept that we can love more than one child, parent, sibling, teacher, friend or pet. When you think of it like that, isn't the total exclusiveness that we expect of spousal love positively weird? Yet it is what we expect, and it is what we set out to achieve. There must be a reason.
From: The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006): pp. 184-185. Dawkins is too narrow in his definition of "polyamory" as having to do with loving "several members of the opposite sex," since not only heterosexuals but also homosexuals and bisexuals can be polyamorous; and besides loving at the same time just two (which I regard as less than several) qualifies. He is also inaccurate: Polyamory is not a belief but an experience or a practice. Furthermore, many a polyamorous person will dispute any implication that the intense emotions associated with being in love are in each case exclusively monogamous in tendency, a point which might upset some speculations about the evolution of love. Nevertheless this quotation helps to document that the term has found its way into the mainstream of book publication.

Quotation from Kelly Patterson Illustrating "Polyamory"
Polyamory is the desire, practice, or acceptance of having more than one loving, intimate relationship at a time with the full knowledge and consent of everyone involved.
From: "Poly (polyamory) Living conference 2009, May 29 -31," [by] Kelly Patterson, examiner.com (Boston); May 26, 2009.

polyamour:

A person loved romantically by a polyamorist (q.v.), especially one who reciprocates that love knowing that he or she is not the only person loved by the polyamorist.

Alternatively: polymour.

See also cadre of beloveds, imbroglio of polyamours, lifestyler, MLTR, non-monogamist, partner, polyamorist, polyamorite, polyamory, polylove.

x polymour.

polyandria:

Polyandry (q.v.).

Contrast polygynia (q.v.).

polyandrian:

Polyandrous (q.v.).

Contrast polygynian (q.v.).

polyandrianism:

Polyandry (q.v.).

polyandric:

Polyandrous (q.v.), said especially of a given culture or group.

Contrast monogamic (q.v.) and polygynic (q.v.).

polyandrist:

1. A woman who has more than one husband.

2. A man who voluntarily has a wife in common with one or more other men.

3. A person who favors polyandry or who, without dissent, belongs to a social system or group where polyandry is routinely practiced and accepted.

4. Euphemism for a female prostitute.

Contrast polygynist (q.v.). See also brother starling, co-husband, collector, junior husband, polyandry, polygamist, second husband, senior husband, village wife, wife [a cerain number of times] over.

polyandrous:

1. Pertaining to or characterized by polyandry (q.v.).

2. Inclined to practice polyandry.

3. Open, by custom, to the practice of polyandry, as in "a polyandrous society."

Contrast monandrous (q.v.) and polygynous (q.v.). See also polyamorous, polyandrian, polygamous.

polyandry:

The practice on the part of a woman of having more than one male mate at a time.

Terms for Forms of Polyandry
The Linnaean classification scheme for flowering plants borrows from Greek terms for forms of marriage. Few of those terms are used in English in their original Greek sense. I suggest that an anglicized form of each word be used to indicate a type of marriage, per the original Greek sense.
Botanical Term (Derived from Greek)	Meaning	Anglicized: Practice, Practitioner, Adjective	Type of Marital Practice Described
monandria	Having one stamen	monandry, monandrist, monandrous	Having one husband
diandria	Having two stamens	diandry, diandrist, diandrous	Having two husbands
triandria	Having three stamens	triandry, triandrist, triandrous	Having three husbands
tetrandria	Having four stamens	tetrandry, tetrandist, tetrandrous	Having four husbands
pentandria	Having five stamens	pentandry, pentandrist, pentandrous	Having five husbands
hexandria	Having six stamens	hexandry, hexandrist, hexandrous	Having six husbands
heptandria	Having seven stamens	heptandry, heptandrist, heptandrous	Having seven husbands
octandria	Having eight stamens	octandry, octandrist, octandrous	Having eight husbands
enneandria	Having nine stamens	enneandry, enneandrist, enneandrous	Having nine husbands
decandria	Having ten stamens	decandry, decandrist, decandrous	Having ten husbands
hendecadria	Having eleven stamens	hendecandry, hendecandrist, hendecandrous	Having eleven husbands
dodecandria	Having twelve stamens	dodecandry, dodecandrist, dodecandrous	Having twelve husbands
icosandria	Having twenty (or more) stamens	icosandry, icosandrist, icosandrous	Having twenty husbands

Contrast monandry (q.v.) and polygyny (q.v.). See also adelphic polyandry, fraternal polyandry, harem, letter group (K, T, V), marriage, multiple marriage, "neither marry, nor are given in marriage," nuliinuaroak, omnigamy, polyandria, polyandrianism, polyandrist, polyandrous, polyandry threshold, polygamy, promiscuity, serial monandry, sloppy seconds, tapicciga, vee.

x Greek terms.

Quotation from Helen E. Fisher on Polyandry
Because women in 99.5 percent of cultures around the world marry only one man at once, it is fair to conclude that monandry, one spouse, is the overwhelmingly predominant marriage pattern for the human female. This is not to suggest that women never have a harem of men. Polyandry is rare; only 0.5 percent of all societies permit a woman to take several husbands simultaneously.
From: Anatomy of Love: The Natural History of Monogamy, Adultery, and Divorce, [by] Helen E. Fisher (New York: W. W. Norton, c1992): pp. 69.

polyandry threshold:

The evaluative point at which a man becomes willing to be part of a woman's harem (q.v.).

Coined by me on analogy with "polygyny threshold)." But perhaps it already exists.

See also polyandry, polygyny threshold.

polyapopemptic:

1. Pertaining to or characterized by multiple farewells.

2. Pertaining to or characterized by multiple divorces on the part of an individual.

Coined by Charles Harrington Elster, 1996.

Source: There's a Word for It! A Grandiloquent Guide to Life, [by] Charles Harrington Elster (New York, NY: Scribner, c1996): p. 86.

See also apopemptic, divorced, pentapopemptic.

polychild:

1. Someone born to a woman who herself practices non-monogamy (q.v.).

2. A child in a household where one or more parents practice non-monogamy.

polycompadre:

1. A fellow polyamorist (q.v.).

2. A friendly fellow participant in a discussion group about polyamory (q.v.), especially, but not necessarily, one who is polyamorous.

Comment: In Spanish, "compadre" (or "compadrino") means "godfather," a fact which lends the term, "polycompadre," a masculine flavor. However, polycompadre seems ot be used as a gender-neutral term.

See also polyamorite, polydom, polyfriendly.

x Spanish and Spanglish terms.

poly connected:

The relatedness of a polyamorous person's love relationship partners who are not sexually intimate with one another.

See also angutawkun, connection, kinship, polyamory, polyrelationship, sexual connection.

poly-curious:

Interested in non-monogamy (q.v.), perhaps as a lovestyle for oneself.

See also polyamory.

polydom:

The totality, worldwide, of polyamorists and polyfriendly people, plus poly groups, institutions, and publications.

See also coupledom, polyamorist, polyamory, polycompadre, polyfriendly, polyhood.

polyerocist:

A person whose preference or practice is to have a multiplicity of sexual partners over the course of time.

See also sexual non-monogamy, trisexual, troilism.

polyeros:

The state of being in a lifestyle or relationship where there is desire for and openness to additional sexual partners.

See also free love, libertinism, pankoitism, polyamory, polyfuckery, polyhood, polykoity, promiscuity, sexual circle, sexual non-monogamy, sexual varietism.

polyfamily:

1. A household consisting of three or more people in a committed love relationship together and any children they might have, especially where living expenses and parental responsibilities are shared.

2. The group of those related by way of committed love relationships, where at least one of those relationships is non-monogamous, plus those they are related to by kinship or communal commitment.

See also cellular family, committed love relationship, expanded family, household, intentional family, non-monogamy, one-parent family, polyamory, two-parent family.

poly fan:

A person who is not polyamorous but who especially enjoys the company of polyamorous people because of characteristics of their polyamorousness.

See also polyamory, polyfriendly.

polyfi:

1. Short for polyfidelity (q.v.).

2. Pertaining to polyfidelity.

polyfidelity:

A committed love relationship (q.v.) consisting of three or more partners on equal footing in which the partners pledge to be sexually exclusive to one another; a form of polyamorous relationship. Generally the addition of new partners is by the consent of all partners. Internal sexual geometry (q.v.) varies from relationship to relationship.

See also closed group swinging, closed group marriage, exclusivity, fidelity, group love relationship, group marriage, the lifestyle, love more than one person at a time, panfidelity, partner sharing, polyamory, polyfi, relationship levels, safe sex circle, tribal marriage, utopian swinging, veto rule.

polyfriendly:

1. Supportive of polyamory (q.v.) without practicing non-monogamy.

2. Tolerant or supportive of polyamorous people.

3. Being friends with somebody one knows to be polyamorous without trying to turn that person away from polyamory.

4. Being neither hostile to polyamory nor inclined to cast it in a bad light.

See also non-monogamist, polycompadre, polydom, poly fan, polygamophile.

polyfuckery:

Copulation with multiple people over time, especially loveless copulation.

Comment: The term is sometimes used to stand in contrast with "polyamory" or to mock those those who speak of "polyamory" but mean "sexual promiscuity."

See also extra-pair copulation, multilateral sexuality, non-monogamy, pankoity, polyamory, polyeros, polyfuckery, polykoity, promiscuity, sexual nonexclusivity, sexual non-monogamy, sexual varietism, swing.

polygamist:

1. A partner in a polygamous relationship, thus:

• a person who has more than one different-sex spouse; or,
• a person who voluntarily, with others of the same sex, shares in common a different-sex spouse.

2. A person who favors polygamy or who, without dissent, belongs to a social system or group where polygamy is routinely practiced and accepted.

Comment: Occasionally the term is used loosely to refer to a participant in a relationship in which a person has more that one mate, even if one or more are of the same sex; or to refer to a participant in a non-monogamous relationship structure such as group marriage. However, see comment under "polygamy."

Contrast monogamist (q.v.). See also bigamist, collector, co-spouse, double bigamy, duogamist, frequently married and seldom divorced, myriadigamist, non-monogamist, polyamorist, polyandrist, polygamy, polygynist, quadrigamy, trigamy, triogamy.

polygamophile:

A person who likes polygamy (q.v.) or the idea of society being amenable to polygamy.

See also apolygist, polyactivist, poly friendly, sex radical.

polygamous:

1. Pertaining to or characterized by polygamy (q.v.).

2. Inclined to practice polygamy.

3. Inclined to want multiple sex partners.

4. Open, by custom, to the practice of polygamy, as in "a polygamous society."

Contrast monogamous (q.v.). See also bigamous, duogamous, polyamorous, polyandrous, polygamy, polygynous, quadrigamous, trigamous, triogamous.

Quotation from John Updike Illustrating "Polygamous"
[Harold little-Smith to Janet Appleby] "... Your thesis is | that women are polygamous; the more they have the more they want?"
From the novel: Couples, [by] John Updike (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1968; "A Borzoi Book"): pp. 120-121.

polygamy:

The practice of having more than one mate at a time.

Comments: As the term is ordinarily used, the structure is: one person mated to two or more of a different sex, each of whom is mated to that one person only.

Polygamy is not to be confused with its subsets, namely polyandry (q.v.) and polygyny (q.v.); although since, in present cultures around the world, the practice of polygamy by men is much more prevalent than by women, the term is often used synonymously with polygyny.

By analogy with monogamy, duogamy, and trigamy, a series of specific terms can be constructed, as in the following chart.

One Person with X-Number of Simultaneous Different-Sex Mates: Some Attested and Suggested Terms
Number of Mates	Non-specific as to sex	Male mates	Female mates
multiple	polygamy*	polyandry*	polygyny*
1	monogamy*	monandry*	monogyny*
2	bigamy*, duogamy*1	duandry	duogyny2
3	trigamy*, triogamy3	triandry	triogyny
4	quadrigamy*, tetragamy	quadrandry, tetrandry	quadrigyny, tetragyny
5	pentagamy, quintagamy	pentandry, quintandry	pentagyny, quintagyny
6	hexagamy, sextagamy	hexandry, sextandry	hexagyny, sextagyny
7	heptagamy, septagamy	heptandry, septandry	heptagyny, septagyny
8	octagamy4	octandry	octagyny
9	enneagamy, nonagamy5	enneandry, nonandry	enneagyny, nonagyny
10	decagamy	decandry	decagyny
11	hendecagamy, undecagamy	hendecandry, undecandry	hendecagyny, undecagyny
12	dodecagamy, duodecagamy	dodecandry, duodecandry	dodecagyny, duodecagyny
* This is a word I have found attested. See under its own entry in this glossary. Words in this chart not marked with an asterisk are merely suggested.
Note 1 "Deuterogamy" (q.v.) and "digamy" (q.v.) are already taken for a different sense.
Note 2 "Bigynist" (q.v.) is already taken for a different sense.
Note 3 "Trigamy" (q.v.) has more than one meaning. I suggest that "triogamy" be used instead when talking nonpejoratively about a form of polygamy, thus creating an analogy with bigamy versus duogamy and digamy versus duogamy.
Note 4 "Octagamy" (q.v.) versus "octogamy" (q.v.) may provide a possible paradigm for distinguishing senses, for instance between situations in which there are contemporaneous spouses and situations in which there have been successive spouses.
"Nonogamy" (q.v.) is already taken for a different sense.

Contrast monogamy (q.v.) and some senses of both bigamy (q.v.) and trigamy (q.v.). See also clandestine polygamy, compound family, de facto polygamy, duogamy, extended family, -gamy, group marriage, have two strings to (one's) bow, illegitimate spouse, letter group (K, T, V), marriage, multiple long-term relationships, Multiple Loves Corollary to Murphy's Law, multiple marriage, myriadigamy, non-monogamy, n-tuple, nuclear family, octagamy, periodization, polyamory, polygamist, polygamous, polygamophile, polykoity, polywed, promiscuity, punalua, quadrigamy, sexual immorality, share (one's) favors, spice, Three Ways, traditional ways, trigamy, triogamy, troika, vee.

Quotation from Winwood Reade Illustrating "Polygamy"
A country in which polygamy prevails can never enjoy a well-ordered constitution. There is always an uncertainty about succession. The kingdom does not descend by rule to the eldest son, but to the son of the favourite wife ... But the rival mother has yet a hope -- the appointed heir may die. Then the seraglio becomes a nursery of treason; the harem administration is stirred by dark whispers; the cabinet of women and eunuchs is cajoled and bribed. A crime is committed and is revenged. The whole palace smells of blood.
From: The Martyrdom of Man, by Winwood Reade; with an introduction by J. M. Robertson (London: Jonathan Cape, 1927; in: The Travellers' Library): p. 62. Originally published, 1872.

Quotation from Ambrose Bierce Illustrating "Polygamy"
Polygamy, n. A house of atonement, or expiatory chapel, fitted with several stools of repentance, as distinguished from monogamy, which has but one.
Humor from: The Devil's Dictionary, [by] Ambrose Bierce (New York: Dover Publications, 1958): p. 101. Originally published in full in v. 7 (1911) of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce (New York: Neale Publishing Co., 1909-1912).

polygnandry:

See polygynandry.

polygenism:

1. The view that not all people who lived after the biblical Adam are descendants of his; the teaching that Adam's posterity consists of only a portion of all human beings who lived after Adam's formation by God.

2. The view or teaching "that 'Adam' is a collective concept which combines into one the totality of human progenitors."

3. The theory that humankind today is descended not from any one pair but from several.

4. The theory that humankind consists of several independent species.

Reference
The quotation in definition 2 is from: "Theological Reflexions on Monogenism," study 8 in: Theological Investigations. Volume I, God, Christ, Mary and Grace, by Karl Rahner; translated with an introduction by Cornelius Ernst (Baltimore: Helicon Press, 1961): pp. [229]-296, specifically pp. 232-233.

Contrast monogenism (q.v.).

x Bible.

x theories.

polygenist:

A person who espouses polygenism.

Contrast monogenist (q.v.). See also polygenism.

polyglow:

Happiness exuded due to aspects of a polyamorous situation.

Contrast poly hell (q.v.). See also compersion, compreciation, frubbliness, f*ck-happy, incandescence, jouissance, polyamory, shine, synletitia, vicarious relationship high.

x glow.

polygon:

A love relationship (q.v.) consisting of three or more people.

Comments: In geometry, in reference to a closed plane figure, "polygon" means "with more than two angles." In reference to a love relationship, each angle represents an individual and the plane represents the relationship as a whole, the specific ties between individuals being undefined except that the individuals are all members of the same relationship.

Some of the Geometrical and Other Mathematical Terms Available to Describe Singles, Couples, and Small Groups
Number	-ad	-angle	-ary	-et1	-gon	-let2	-lateral	-o	-some	Other
General or multiple	----	----	numerary, plenary, unitary	----	polygon	----	multilateral	----	moresome	multi-, poly-
1	monad	----	solitary, unary	soloist	monogon3	----	unilateral	solo	lonesome4	alone, single
2	dyad	----	binary	duet	digon3	doublet	bilateral	duo	twosome	couple, one-to-one, tandem, twin
3	triad	triangle	ternary, trinary	trio	trigon	triplet	trilateral	trio	threesome	trinal, trine
4	tetrad	quad, quadrangle	quaternary	quartet, quartette	tetragon	quadruplet	quadrilateral	----	foursome	four-cornered, tetractys5
5	pentad, quintad	pentangle	quinary, quinquenary	quintet, quintette	pentagon	quintuplet	quinquelateral	----	----	pentacle,6 quincunx, quint
6	hexad	hexangle	senary, sextenary	sextet	hexagon	sextuplet	sexilateral	----	----	hexagram7
7	heptad	heptangle	septenary	septet	heptagon	septuplet	septilateral	----	----	pleiad8
8	octad	octangle	octonary	octet	octogon	octuplet	octilateral	----	----	-----
9	ennead	enneangle	nonary	nonet	enneagon, nonagon	nonuplet	nonilateral	----	----	-----
10	decad	decangle	denary	dectet	decagon	decuplet	decilateral	----	----	----
11	hendecad	hendecangle	undenary	undectet	hendecagon, undecagon	hendecuplet	undecilateral	----	----	----
12	dodecad, duodecad	dodecangle	duodenary	duodectet	dodecagon	duodecuplet	duodecilateral	----	----	----
13	tridecad, triskaidecad	----	----	----	triskaidecagon	----	----	----	----	----
14	tessaradecad, tetradecad, tetrakaidecad	----	----	----	tessarescaedecahedron, tetrakaidecagon, tetradecagon	----	----	----	----	----
Note 1	Words in the "-et" column tend to be used for musical groups and so are often, but not always, avoided when referring to love relationships.
Note 2	"Multiplet" and "singlet" have special meanings in physics, so I have not included them in the chart. "Triplets," "quadruplets," "quintuplets," "sextuplets,"and "septuplets" would refer to children born of the same woman in the same birthing session. However, "a triplet," "a quadruplet," a quintuplet," "a sextuplet," or "a septuplet" would refer either to one such child or to a group of three, four, five, six, or seven respectively. Note well: By dropping the "t" at the end, any of these terms can be turned into (a) an adjective, meaning "consisting of n members" or multiplied by n; (b) a noun, meaning "an n-fold number"; or a verb, meaning "to multiply by n."
Note 3	"Monogon" and "digon" are not plane figures, yet the words fill out the pattern and are sometimes used in specialized senses.
Note 4	Of course, "lonesome" is not exactly a mathematical term.
Note 5	"Tetractys" means a set of four or the first four numbers -- 1, 2, 3, 4 -- which together total 10. The term is associated with Pythagoreanism.
Note 6	A pentacle is a five-pointed star.
Note 7	The Star of David is an example of a hexagram.
Note 8	A pleiad is a group of seven distinguished individuals.

See also alternative relationship geometries, biamory, bi-trio, couple, double love triangle, four-cornered marriage, foursome, hexad, letter group, moresome, multilateral marriage, pentacle, pentad, pentamory, pentangle, pluralism of marriage patterns, polyamory, quad, quadramory, quartet, sextet, sexual geometry, single, square, tetrad, threesome, triad, triamory, triangle, troika.