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Non-monogamy and polyamory |
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In polyamory, a polycule is a group of individuals involved in romantic relationships that connect all the members in the group. [1] [2] It is not necessary for every individual of the polycule to be in a relationship with every other individual, and also not common. [3] [4] The most simple and arguably most common polycule structure is a V shaped structure, a three-person polycule where one person is dating the two others, but the two others are not dating one another.
Derived as an analog to the way that atomic bonds connect the atoms in a molecule, the word is a portmanteau of polyamory and molecule .
The origin of the term is not clear, but it seems to have entered the popular lexicon starting in the early 2010s. [1] By the 2020s, discussions of polycules had entered the mainstream media. [5] [6]
While polycules can take on many different configurations, there are a few common structures and terms. [2]
Some of these structures are tileable (e.g. a V that one of the branches is in another V structure)