collective marriage
nounUK /kəˈlɛktɪv ˈmærɪdʒ/
US /kəˈlɛktɪv ˈmærɪdʒ/
A collective marriage is when a group of people are all married to each other at the same time.
In some stories, a collective marriage joins several partners into one big family.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A marriage arrangement in which several men and several women share spouses within one household.
The tribe practiced collective marriage, with brothers sharing wives and sisters sharing husbands.
3. A social system where property and children are held in common by all married partners.
Under collective marriage, the children were raised by the whole group rather than one couple.
4. A fictional or utopian family structure in which all adults in a community are wed to one another.
The novel describes a future society built on collective marriage and shared parenting.