Meanings
- uncountableThe fact or condition of having more than two mammae or nipples.
Viewed in the light of comparative anatomy, polymastia is interesting, as showing a tendency to re-establish the series of mammae seen in other mammalia; but Darwin has lately repudiated atavism as a cause of this malformation
1878 April 6, “Reviews and notices of books: On Numerical Anomalies of the Breast”, in The Lancet, volume 114, page 5001 more example
The warts on its skin, you see, remind one of the extra nipples which every she-witch was supposed to have and that goes back (am I boring you, dear boy? How is your glass?) that goes back to the polymastia or superfluity of breasts of the ancients.
1976, Kyril Bonfiglioli, Something Nasty in the Woodshed, Penguin, published 2001, page 420Synonyms: polymazia, pleiomazia, pleiomastia
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe fact or condition of having more than two mammae or nipples.
Origin
- Ancient Greekμαστός“breast”
- Englishpolymastia
From poly- + -mastia (corresponding to Ancient Greek μαστός (mastós, “breast”)).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan polimàstia
- polimàstiaTranslations
Chinese Mandarin 多乳房症
- 多乳房症 (duō rǔfáng zhèng)Translations
French polymastie
- polymastieTranslations
Greek πολυμαστία
- πολυμαστία (polymastía)Translations
Italian polimastia
- polimastiaTranslations
Portuguese polimastia
- polimastiaTranslations
Russian полимасти́я
- полимасти́я (polimastíja)Translations
Spanish polimastia
- polimastiaTranslations
Cite this entry
polymastia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polymastia
“polymastia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polymastia. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “polymastia,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polymastia.
Source: polymastia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.