poly-

(Greek: many, much; excessive; abnormal amount, profuse, ample, large quantity; multiple, abundant, numerous)

Don’t confuse this poly- with another -poly which means “to sell”.

polygraph
Also known as a lie detector, it is an electro-mechanical instrument used to determine whether an examinee is truthfully answering questions.

It simultaneously measures and records certain physiological changes in the human body which it is believed are involuntarily caused by an examinee’s conscious attempt to deceive an interrogator.

polygraphic
polygraphy
1. An apparatus, on the principle of the pantograph, for producing two or more identical drawings or writings simultaneously.
2. An instrument for obtaining tracings of movements in various parts of the body; a myograph.
3. An instrument for recording changes in respiration, blood pressure, galvanic skin response, and other physiological changes while the person is questioned about some matter or asked to give associations to relevant and irrelevant words; the physiological changes are presumed to be indicators of emotional reactions, and thus whether the person is telling the truth.
4. In cryptography, a group of two or more letters.
5. In phonetics, a group of three or more letters expressing a simple sound of speech.
polygynous
1. In botany, having many pistils, styles, or stigmas; specifically belonging to the order Polygynia.
2. Having more than one wife or having several wives (or concubines); practicing, pertaining to, or involving polygyny.
3. In zoology, a reference to a male animal that has several female mates; characterized by polygyny, as a species.
polygynous
A reference to the marriage of a man to more than two women at the same time.
polygyny
1. The practice of having many female mates.
2. The mating of a single male with several females.
3. The presence of many queens within a single colony of social insects.
polygyria
A condition in which the brain has an excessive number of convolutions.
polyhaline (adjective) (not comparable)
1. Pertaining to brackish water having a salinity between ten and seventeen parts per thousand, or to sea water having a salinity greater than thirty-four parts per thousand: Polyhaline water is the second highest saline region of a salt-marsh, in agreement with the Venice system for classifying brackish water.
2. Concerning extremely salt-tolerant species: One polyhaline taxonomic group is the common sea lavender of the genus Limonium, which has spikes of white or mauve flowers.
polyhalophile (s) (noun), polyhalophiles (pl)
An organism that thrives in a wide range of salinities: While at the seaside one summer, Judy learned that there were many polyhalophiles that spent their lives in the ocean.
polyhalophilic (adjective), more polyhalophilic, most polyhalophilic
Referring to the existence of an animal in a wide range of salinities: Waterfowl, crabs, and fish are all considered to be polyhalophilic and thrive well in salty environments.
polyhalophily
polyhedra; plural of polyhedron
A solid figure bounded by plane polygons or faces.
polyhedral angle
1. The angle formed by three or more planes passing through a point.
2. An angle at a vertex of a solid.
polyhedron
Having many faces or sides.
polyhidria
Abnormally excessive sweating.

Related topics utilizing this poly- prefix: Polysemy and Polysemous and Polygamy Sections.

Inter-related cross references, directly or indirectly, involving word units meaning "more, plentiful, fullness, excessive, over flowing": copi-; exuber-; hyper-; multi-; opulen-; ple-; pleio-; plethor-; super-; total-; ultra-; undu-.