To quote someone who knows what they're talking about:
"From Arabic harIm (literally "something forbidden") and haram (literally "a sanctuary")"
Although its original meaning was the part of a household reserved for females - including perhaps a
man's
mother, sisters, and daughters, as well as
wife or wives - it is commonly used to mean a group of more than one woman who are all available sexually to a single
man. This situation is Polygyny ("multiple
women.") Sometimes it also refers to a group of men who are available to a single woman. This situation is Polyandry ("multiple men.") Either
may be called Polygamy ("multiple
marriage.")
People who think it derives from Latin don'
t know what they're talking about, which is no great crime - no one knows everything. People who think it derives from Latin and say so on a public forum like this not only don't know that they don't know what they're talking about, but are displaying and perpetuating their ignorance.
