polycule
/PAH-lee-kyool/noun
Meaning
A group or network of people connected through polyamorous or other consensually non-monogamous relationships. Members of a polycule may be romantically, sexually, emotionally, or socially connected, but they do not all need to date one another.
- 1. A connected relationship network involving people who have multiple consensual romantic or sexual relationships.
- 2. A chart or model used to show the people and relationship connections in that network.
Examples
“My polycule is spread across three cities, so we keep one very busy group chat.”
“I met two people from her polycule at game night.”
“The relationship map looked less like a family tree and more like a polycule.”
“Our polycule is planning a shared beach weekend.”
“Please ask before adding a new person to the polycule calendar.”
Origin and spread
Polycule is a blend of polyamory and molecule: the relationship lines in a network can resemble the bonds in a molecular diagram. The earliest documented use located is in Dan Savage’s August 5, 2010 column, which credits Koe Sozuteki with coining the term after she charted the connections in her polyamorous family and recognized a resemblance to a molecule. The word was in published circulation by June 2012, when VICE described people making small models of their romantic and sexual connections, and it became more familiar as polyamory received wider media attention in the late 2010s and early 2020s.[2]
How to use it
Polycule is an informal term used especially by people familiar with polyamory and consensual non-monogamy. It describes a network, not necessarily a three-person group relationship in which everyone dates everyone else. Some members may be metamours—partners of the same person—without being romantic partners themselves. Avoid assuming that everyone connected to a person considers themselves part of the same polycule.
Sources
- 1. VICE — Exploring Polyamory with a Bunch of Horny NerdsSupports: earliest documented use.
- 2. Wordorigins.org — polyculeSupports: earliest documented use, origin.
