punalua

noun

pu·​na·​lua

ˌpünəˈlüə

plural -s

1

: a group marriage formerly practiced in Hawaii in which a group of brothers is married to a group of sisters or in which the husbands are of the same kinship group and the wives are members of another kinship group

2

: the two or more husbands of a wife or the two or more wives of a husband in such a group marriage

3

: the relationship of the persons in such a form of marriage

Word History

Etymology

Hawaiian

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!