In polyamory, a polycule is a group of individuals involved in romantic, sexual, and platonic relationships that connect all the members in the group, analogous to the way that atomic bonds connect the atoms in a molecule.
The word is a portmanteau of polyamory and molecule.
[1][2][3][4] The origin of the term is not clear, but it seems have entered the popular lexicon starting in the early 2010s.
[1] By the 2020s, discussions of polycules had entered the mainstream media.
[5][6] While polycules can take on many different configurations, there are a few common structures and terms.