This week, a court in Newfoundland and Labrador recognized three unmarried adults as the legal parents of a child born within their 鈥漰olyamorous鈥� family. It was believed to be a legal first in Canada. However, many Canadians were left with one big question: What does polyamorous mean? Here鈥檚 five things you need to know:

1. There is no definitive definition, but there are a few basic principles.

The term appears to have emerged in the early 1990s, but there is no single definition that has universal acceptance.

John-Paul Boyd, executive director of the Calgary-based Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family, says people who consider themselves polyamorous prefer to have intimate relationships that involve more than two people, where marriage is not considered necessary.

And there鈥檚 an added dimension that typically involves a high degree of openness and trust about the voluntary arrangement.

鈥淧olyamorous relationships have been in the open since the late 1960s, but it has really picked up steam in the last 10 years,鈥� Boyd says.

Those who describe themselves at polyamorous typically reject the notion that exclusivity is required for long-term, loving relationships.

2. Polyamorous relationships have nothing to do with bigamy or polygamy.

Under Section 293 of the Criminal Code, it is illegal to be married to more than one person. Polyamorous relationships do not violate that provision of the law.

However, it would be wrong to assume that is the only difference between polygamy and polyamory.

Last July, two men in British Columbia were found guilty of polygamy. Winston Blackmore, 62, was married to two dozen women, while James Oler, 54, was found to have married five women. Both are leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bountiful, B.C.

Boyd said these arranged marriages were part of a patriarchal structure that led to 鈥渟erious, negative social effects within that community.鈥�

鈥淭hey were mandated by God and there鈥檚 no pretence of equality,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 mandatory.鈥�

By contrast, polyamorous relationships are voluntary.

鈥淭he key is that whatever (polyamorous) relationships look like, they are consensual,鈥� he said. 鈥淓verybody knows what鈥檚 going on. Honesty and transparency are at the core of it all.鈥�

Boyd said his research has found that among those who consider themselves polyamorous, there鈥檚 a heavy emphasis on equality, regardless of gender, sexual identity and parenting status.

3. We really have no idea how many people are polyamorous, but there has been some fascinating research.

There鈥檚 no way of knowing how many Canadians consider themselves polyamorous. Statistics Canada doesn鈥檛 collect that kind of data.

However, a 2009 American study suggested that one in 614 Americans lived in openly polyamorous relationships. Another U.S. study the following year suggested about one in 500 Americans described themselves as polyamorous.

In 2016, Boyd used social media to ask polyamorous Canadians to take part in an online survey. More than 500 people responded.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a huge number,鈥� he says. 鈥淕etting people to fill out surveys is like pulling teeth.鈥�

Of the 480 responses that were analyzed, 82 per cent agreed that the number of people who identify as polyamorous in Canada is increasing.

Meanwhile, the website for the Canadian Polyamory Advocacy Association includes more than 100 links to sites for advocacy, support and dating.

4. Polyamory is not just another term for what 鈥渟wingers鈥� do.

According to the Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality, there鈥檚 a big difference between swingers and those who are polyamorous.

Swinging is non-monogamous sexual activity 鈥渢reated much like any other social activity,鈥� says an October 2000 paper published in the journal, titled 鈥淭oday鈥檚 Alternative Marriage Styles: The Case of Swingers.鈥�

鈥淓motional monogamy, or commitment to the love relationship with one鈥檚 marital partner, remains the primary focus.鈥�

By contrast, those who are polyamorous may not be interested in sex: 鈥淚t鈥檚 just consensual non-monogamy,鈥� says Boyd.

Polyamorous relationships emphasize emotional and egalitarian aspects, while swingers focus on sexual non-monogamy and emotional monogamy.

That said, a polyamorous person may engage in swinging, while swingers sometimes develop emotional bonds with their sexual partners.

5. Children are frequently part of polyamorous families.

The data compiled from Boyd鈥檚 2016 survey showed that 40 per cent of respondents said there were children living in their homes full- or part-time.

鈥淲hat that shows is that it is hardly uncommon for people to have children in their polyamorous relationships,鈥� Boyd says.

Still, the recent case in Newfoundland and Labrador drew attention to the fact that the law hasn鈥檛 kept up with the evolution of Canadian families.

In that case, released Thursday, the St. John鈥檚 family included two men in a relationship with the mother of a child born in 2017. The adults had been together for three years, but the biological father of the child was unknown.

In his decision, Justice Robert Fowler of the provincial supreme court said: 鈥淪ociety is continuously changing and family structures are changing along with it. This must be recognized as a reality and not as a detriment to the best interests of the child.鈥�

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press

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