Poly wanna learn a new word? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Polyandry

"Polyandry" is derived from the Greek: poly (many) and andras (man).

Polyandry has been observed in cultures in Africa, Asia, South America, the Pacific Islands and Europe, and is still practiced in some cultures today.

In a relatively common form of polyandry, a woman is married to two or more men who are brothers. This is known as "fraternal polyandry".

Answer: An early Christian bishop, saint and martyr

St Polycarp was a second century bishop of Smyrna, an ancient city in modern-day Turkey. He was reputed to be a disciple of St John the Apostle, and some scholars consider that he may have been responsible for compiling the books and letters of the New Testament.

Polycarp is revered as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran Churches.

Answer: Joseph

"Polychromatic" means having many colours. The biblical story of Joseph can be found in the last 15 chapters of the book of Genesis. Joseph's father loved him more than his other children and made him a tunic of many colours. Joseph's older brothers were, understandably, not impressed.

Answer: Having an excess number of fingers or toes

The fictitious description of Boleyn is believed to have been created (or at least spread) after her death by Nicholas Sanders, a Catholic propagandist who laid the blame for Henry VIII's split from the church at the feet of the executed Queen. As well as allegedly having six fingers on one hand, another rumour claimed she had three breasts.

Answer: Drink a lot of water

"Polydipsia" is excess thirst. In medical terms, it refers to a clinically abnormal degree of thirst or drinking, so my example uses the word somewhat loosely. Polydipsia is a common symptom of diabetes, anticholinergic poisoning, and may also manifest in certain mental illnesses.

Untreated polydipsia can be very serious indeed, as drinking too much water throws out your blood chemistry. On the other hand, severe dehydration is potentially life-threatening too. So if you're thirsty because it's a hot day--drink up!

Answer: False

The term "polyester" refers to any polymeric compound with an ester functional group in its main body. While synthetic polyesters are very common, they can also be found in nature. For example, cutin is a polyester on the surface of many plants. Synthetic polyesters include compounds in fabrics, ropes, plastics, and polished finishes on wood products.

Answer: Renaissance man

A polymath is a person who has expertise in multiple different fields of endeavour. The word comes from the Greek "polymathçs" which roughly translates as "having learned much". The colloquial term "Renaissance man" similarly refers to someone who has advanced knowledge of many different subject areas.

Leonardo da Vinci is regarded by many as the consummate "Renaissance man", being an acclaimed painter, sculptor, scientist, engineer, and philosopher.

Answer: A pyramid

"Polygon" derives from the Greek "poly" (many) and "gonia" (angles or corners). A pyramid is 3-dimensional, so not a plane (2-dimensional) shape.

Hey, what do you call a mathematician's lost parrot? Polygon!

Answer: The Pacific Ocean

Meaning "many islands" in Greek, the name was first used by French writer Charles de Brosses to describe the islands of the Pacific. He wasn't kidding--over 1,000 islands can be found in the Polynesian triangle. Nowadays the region called Polynesia is more narrowly defined, to draw a distinction between the Micronesian and Melanesian island groups.

Major Polynesian islands or island groups include Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga and the Cook islands. New Zealand is also located within the Polynesian triangle.

Answer: Diabetes

Polyuria is the formal medical term for excessive urination. Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus often manifests via polyuria, among other symptoms, when blood glucose levels are too high to be effectively filtered by the kidneys. Glucose enters the urine, bringing excess water with it through osmotic pressure.

Interesting but disgusting fact: the word "diabetes" was first used to describe the disease around 2000 years ago, based on the symptom of polyuria ("diabetes" meant "siphon" in Greek); "mellitus" was added in the 17th century (to distinguish it from diabetes insipidus) because the urine of diabetics has a sweet taste. Yes, it used to be commonplace to taste a sick person's urine for diagnostic purposes. Yum!

Answer: Shinto

Polytheism is the belief in many gods, as opposed to belief in one god (monotheism) or no gods (atheism). Shinto, the indigenous spirituality of Japan, is roughly translated as "way of the gods". Approximately 120 million people in Japan practice Shinto.

Answer: A long carbohydrate molecule that stores energy

"Polysaccharide" comes from the Greek "poly" (many) and "sacchar" (sugar). Polysaccharides are long molecular structures made up of repeating carbohydrate units. Apart from glycogen, other commonly known polysaccharides are starch and cellulose.

Glycogen is primarily made and stored in the liver and muscles of animals. It is broken down into glucose-related molecules to replace glucose in the blood used up by physical activity. The body's glycogen stores may be depleted after long periods of exertion without getting new energy through food or drink. When this happens you experience the symptoms we call "hitting the wall".

Answer: PVC

PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is a very commonly made and used plastic. As well as clothing, it is used to make pipes, furniture, tiles, signs, packaging and as insulation for electrical wires. However, some industrial applications of PVC are controversial because of health concerns about some PVC additives and breakdown products.

Answer: A phone's ring tone

"Polyphonic" is derived from the Greek "poly" (many) and "phone" (sound or voice). In music, it refers to a piece with two or more melodic parts at the same time.

I used to work in an office where I got used to hearing Rick Springfield suddenly break into song without a second's notice. Polyphonic ring tones have a lot to answer for!

Answer: Gastroenterologist

A polyp is an abnormal tissue growth that projects out of a mucous membrane. They are commonly found in the colon, and also occur in the stomach, sinuses, bladder, small intestine and uterus. Colonic polyps are usually removed as there is a risk of benign polyps becoming cancerous.

The word "polyp" comes from the Latin "polypus" (octopus), which is ultimately derived from the Greek root words "poly" (many) and "podes" (feet).