polygyny
[ puh-lij-uh-nee ]
/ pəˈlɪdʒ ə ni /
noun
the practice or condition of having more than one wife at one time.
(among male animals) the habit or system of having two or more mates, either simultaneously or successively.
(among social insects) the condition of having two or more functioning queens in a colony.
Botany.
the state or condition of having many pistils or styles.
Compare
monogyny.
Words nearby polygyny
polygonaceous,
polygonum,
polygraph,
polygynist,
polygynous,
polygyny,
polygyria,
polyhedral,
polyhedral angle,
polyhedron,
polyhedrosis
Example sentences from the Web for polygyny
British Dictionary definitions for polygyny
polygyny
/ (pəˈlɪdʒɪnɪ) /
noun
the practice or condition of being married to more than one wife at the same time
Compare polygamy
the practice in animals of a male mating with more than one female during one breeding season
the condition in flowers of having many carpels
See
polyandry
Derived forms of polygyny
polygynist, noun polygynous, adjectiveWord Origin for polygyny
C18: from
poly- +
-gyny, from Greek
gunē a woman