338 articles
Mystery of Crowning
Mystery of Crowning (Sacrament of Crowning, stefana) is the central Eastern Orthodox marriage rite in which a priest or bishop crowns bride and groom; unlike the Latin rite, the minister confers the sacrament, and the service has no vows.
Negging
Negging is a backhanded compliment or subtle insult used to undermine someone's confidence and make them seek approval. Originating in pickup artistry via Mystery and Neil Strauss's The Game, it differs from teasing and gaslighting.
Nephi Jeffs
Nephi Jeffs, brother of FLDS leader Warren Jeffs, served as his personal assistant and message conduit from prison, described as second-in-command of the FLDS; registered agent of two FLDS corporations and witness in the 2014 pecan harvest labor case.
Nikah mut'ah (نكاح المتعة)
Nikah mut'ah (نكاح المتعة), or sigheh, is a fixed-term temporary marriage contract lawful in Twelver Shi'i (Ja'fari) law but void in Sunni law. Both traditions agree it was permitted in early Islam; they dispute whether Muhammad or Caliph Umar prohibited it. It is legally recognized in Iran.
Nina Dyer
Nina Dyer (Nina Sheila Dyer, 1930-1965), Anglo-Indian fashion model and Pierre Balmain favorite; married Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza then Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan; died by suicide in 1965.
Nina Rindt
Nina Rindt (née Lincoln, born 1943), Finnish fashion model, wife of Jochen Rindt; timed his laps from the pit wall, was widowed at Monza in 1970, and accepted the only posthumous F1 championship trophy.
Non-monogamy
Non-monogamy (ethical or consensual non-monogamy, CNM) covers polyamory, open relationships, swinging, and polyfidelity: multi-partner arrangements by explicit consent. Research finds satisfaction roughly equal to monogamy, with rising US interest and partial legal recognition.
Ntokozo Mayisela
Ntokozo Mayisela (Ntokozo kaMayisela Zulu), queen consort and first wife of Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini; civil marriage May 2021, lobola of eight cows and R50,000, two children, 2025 interdict and later reconciliation.
Olive theory
Olive theory: a TikTok-viral compatibility idea from the How I Met Your Mother pilot, claiming a couple works when one loves and one hates olives; unscientific, with a sacrifice-based twist.
Olivia Maurel
Olivia Maurel (born 1991) is a French-American anti-surrogacy activist born via traditional surrogacy in Kentucky, USA; spokesperson of the Casablanca Declaration and author of ¿Dónde estás, mamá?
On-again, off-again relationship
On-again, off-again relationship (relationship cycling, churning): a romantic relationship in which the same partners break up and renew at least once. About two-thirds of adults experience one; cycling correlates with relational stress, depression, and anxiety.
Open marriage
Open marriage: a married couple's mutual agreement permitting sexual, sometimes emotional, relationships outside the marriage; a form of consensual non-monogamy popularized by the O'Neills' 1972 book, distinct from infidelity, swinging, and polyamory.
Open relationship
Open relationship: a committed relationship in which partners agree one or both may have sex (sometimes romance) with others; a form of consensual non-monogamy alongside polyamory and swinging, distinguished from infidelity by consent and affecting about 4-5% of partnered adults.
Passing (racial identity)
Racial passing, also called passing for white, is presenting as a race other than one's assigned one; over 19% of black males passed for white in 1880-1940 US censuses, with roots in antebellum escape from slavery.
Passport bros
Passport bros, also called PPB, are Western men who travel abroad, mainly to Colombia, Brazil, Thailand, and the Philippines, seeking "traditional" wives; a manosphere-linked movement coined in a 2011 documentary and spread on TikTok since 2019.
Patti Stanger
Patti Stanger, the Millionaire Matchmaker, is an American third-generation matchmaker who founded the Millionaire's Club in 2000, starred in Bravo's The Millionaire Matchmaker (2008–2015), and returned on the CW in 2024.
Pauline Pfeiffer
Pauline Pfeiffer (1895–1951), American journalist for Vanity Fair and Vogue, second wife of Ernest Hemingway from 1927 to 1940; mother of Patrick and Gregory, editor of his manuscripts, died after an adrenal tumor rupture.
Pen pal
Pen pal (pen friend): a person with whom you exchange letters as a hobby, usually abroad and unmet. Covers origins in the international correspondence movement, Eisenhower's People-to-People program, classroom uses, and apps like Slowly.
Pengiran Raabi'atul Adawiyyah
Pengiran Raabi'atul Adawiyyah binti Pengiran Haji Bolkiah (born 1992) is a Bruneian former data analyst, wife of Prince 'Abdul Malik, whose title Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Isteri was revoked by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on 8 August 2026; she has four daughters.
Personal advertisement
Personal advertisement (lonely-hearts ad): a classified notice seeking a romantic or marriage partner, first printed in a 1692 British newspaper, common in The Times by 1785-1800, later in matrimonial periodicals, and the direct ancestor of online dating profiles.
Pickup artist
Pickup artists (PUAs) are self-styled seduction experts in a commercial online community selling techniques like negging and kino; tied to the manosphere, popularized by Mystery and Neil Strauss's 2005 The Game, and criticized as manipulative and misogynistic.
Polyamory
Polyamory is consensual non-monogamy involving multiple loving relationships with everyone's knowledge and consent, distinct from swinging and polygamy; coined in 1992, practiced by roughly 1 in 9 US singles, with satisfaction comparable to monogamy.
Polyandry
Polyandry: one woman or female with multiple husbands or mates. Two forms, fraternal (Tibetan brothers sharing a wife) and non-fraternal (Nair). Rare worldwide, 53 surveyed non-classical societies, declining and legally unrecognized in India.
Polyandry in India
Polyandry in India is the practice of one woman married to more than one man at once, recorded from ancient times, chiefly in fraternal form in the Himalayas.
Polyfidelity
Polyfidelity is a closed form of polyamory in which three or more equal partners are romantically and sexually exclusive to the group; coined by the 1971-1991 Kerista commune of San Francisco, which also coined compersion.
Polygamy
Polygamy, or plural marriage, includes polygyny, polyandry, and polygynandry. A 2021 meta-analysis links it to higher depression in women and worse child psychological outcomes; legal in 93 states, mostly capped at four wives.
Polygamy in Africa
Polygamy in Africa is almost entirely polygyny, one man with multiple wives, recognized under customary, Islamic, or civil law in countries such as Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria; prevalence ranges widely (11–53% of married women) and has declined from 41% to 29% in Nigeria since 1990.
Polygamy in Christianity
Polygamy in Christianity: biblical evidence (Old Testament practice, no explicit New Testament lay ban), mainstream monogamous teaching, the Vatican's 2025 Una caro note, the 2026 SECAM African report, and churches accepting polygamy.
Polygamy in North America
Polygamy in North America is illegal in the United States and Canada but continues, mostly among Mormon fundamentalist groups, with an estimated 30,000 to 210,000 people living in plural families.
Polygyny
Polygyny is marriage of one man to two or more wives concurrently, the common form of polygamy, contrasted with rare polyandry and monogamy; concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, about 2% of the global population lives in polygamous households.