I was listening to an Andrew Bird album when I read your last reply. Then it occurred to me that Andrew has a song by the title of "Nomenclature".
Bird's song:
http://www.6lyrics.com/music/andrew_bird/lyrics/nomenclature.aspx
dictionary definition of nomenclature:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nomenclature
Perhaps the term "polyamory" is yet too new to have come to have a common nomenclature?
In any case, I'm all for allowing people the freedom to define themselves. However, I'm also well aware of the difficulties in commuincation which may arise with everyone using their own private nomenclature.
Just in my own case, if I were not interested in having several lovers myself but had a lover who had yet another lover, I'd call myself polyamorous. Why? I suppose it has to do with solidarity with the poly movement. And, yes, there is a polyamory movement -- though not all polyamorous people are a part of that movement. (I am!) The movement's purpose is to educate the broad public about the polyamory option as a viable, morally neutral alternative to monogamy.
Those who doubt these dual root premises of the polyamory movement, and who are actively at cross-purposes, tend to be monogam
ists . It is one thing to practice monogamy and another to be a monogam
ist, with the latter being a person who subscribes to an
-ism of the same sort as racism, sexism, ageism, heterosexism.... That is, they believe that they alone are good and right and acceptable..., and that children need to be "educated" in this "correct / proper / appropriate" way. It is an education in shame and in contempt, or even (sometimes) hate. And I find that sort of "education" immoral, improper, and wrong.
I'm proud to be a part of the polyamory movement.