Relationship
What does Metamour mean?
Your partner's partner: the other love in the network, who is not yours.
Definition
Metamour names a relation that monogamous vocabulary only knows as a rival. In polyamory it is the person who loves the person you love. They can be a friend, a stranger, kitchen table (they share meals) or parallel (they never meet). Having the word lowers the pressure to pretend those people do not exist.
Origin
English meta + amour, polyamorous communities.
History
ENM glossaries in the 2000s made metamour a technical term, not gossip.
How it emerged
The network needed a noun that was not my boyfriend's lover.
Usage examples
My metamour travelled with her this weekend.
I don't have to like my metamour; I do have to stop pretending they don't exist.
Translations
- pt metamour
- en metamour
- es metamour
Synonyms
- the other bond
- partner's partner
- meta
Related terms
Questions
What is a metamour?
Your partner's partner, in an arrangement with more than one love.
Do I have to be friends?
No. Kitchen table is one style; parallel poly is another.
Origin?
English from polyamorous communities, meta + amour.