Polygamy usually takes the form of polygyny – when a man marries multiple women. Polyandry, which refers to wives having more than one husband, is even rarer than polygamy and mostly documented among small and relatively isolated communities around the world.

What is it called when a husband has two wives?

polygamist Add to list Share. Polygamist comes from the Greek: poly- means many and gamos means marriage. So by definition, a polygamist can be a man with multiple wives or a woman with multiple husbands. The thing to remember is that the marriages are on-going.