monandry

American  

[muh-nan-dree] / məˈnæn dri /

noun

1. the practice or condition of having one husband at a time.

2. (of a female animal) the condition of having one mate at a time.

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Etymology

Origin of monandry

First recorded in 1850–55; monandr(ous) + -y ³

Explanation

In zoology, monandry refers to female animals who have only one mate. Many bees, butterflies, and humans practice monandry. We just call it getting married. In most of modern society, monandry is the norm. It's more common to find this scientific-sounding term describing plant and animal reproduction. The habit of certain bees is for the females to stick to monandry, mating only once with just one male. The word monandry comes from the Greek roots mono, "single" or "alone," and aner-, "man."