Constellation
A network of polyamorous relationships
Example
It's probably easier for me to draw out our constellation than try to explain it to you verbally
Related Slang
Throuple | A romantic relationship between three people |
OT3 | One true threesome |
ship | Relationship |
Situationship | A relationship that is more than friendship but not yet romantic |
Cuffing | Linking up in a relationship with a person |
3sum | Threesome |
DTR | Define the relationship |
Those who are polyamorous (meaning they engage in non-monogamous romantic relationships) may refer to themself and their partners as a constellation. Typically, a constellation is a set of relationships that includes more than four people. Relationships that include only three people are more often referred to as triads or throuples, while those that include only four people are referred to as quads.
Inspired by real-life constellations, in which lines traced between many individual stars form a single image, polyamorous constellations trace the connections between a polyamorous person and their romantic partners. When explaining their relationships to others, polyamorous people may actually diagram out their constellation.
Less commonly, constellations are also referred to as polycules - a term that is a play on molecule (a group of individual atoms bonded together).