Polycule

Polycule is a 21st century portmanteau of “polyamory” and “molecule” used to describe a group of individuals who have a set of overlapping relationships — romantic, sexual, and platonic. Like a molecule, a polycule can be simple or very complex. The origin of the term is not clear, but it seems to enter popular lexicon starting in the early 2010s. By the 2020s, it was a term that appeared in mainstream media.

Terms
While polycules can take on many different configurations, there are a few common structures and terms.
 * V Structure describes a three-person polycule where one person is dating the two others, but the two others are not dating one another. It is also known as a type of triad.
 * N Structure describes a four-person polycule where each two couples each contributes one person to a third relationship. It takes its name from the letter “N”, since each line represents a relationship and each end point represents an individual.
 * Throuple describes a group of three people where all individuals are in a relationship with the other two people in the group.
 * Quad describes a four-person polycule. While N Structures are all quads, not all quads are N structures.

In Popular Culture

 * The televison program Riverdale series finale revealed a four-person polycule, or quad, between Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead.
 * In season 3 of Bridgerton, Benedict Bridgerton explores being in a throuple with Lady Tilly Arnold and Paul Suarez.
 * Luca Guadagnino‘s 2024 movie Challengers drew social media references to the three characters of Tashi, Patrick and Art as a “throuple.” However, members of the polyamorous community pushed back on using the "throuple" term since the relationship dynamics didn’t follow the conventions of ethical non-monogamy of transparency.