POLYGAMY

In criminal law. The offense of having several wives or husbands at the same time, or more than one wife or husband at the same time. 8 Inst. 88. And see Reynolds v. U. S., 98 U. S. 145, 25 L. Ed. 244. The offense committed by.a layman in marrying while any previous wife is living and undivorced; as distinguished from higamy in the sense of a breach of ecclesiastical law involved in any second marriage by a clerk. Polygamy, or bigamy, shall consist 1n knowingly having a plurality of husbands or [s. 917]