polyandry

American  

[pol-ee-an-dree, pol-ee-an-] / ˈpɒl iˌæn dri, ˌpɒl iˈæn- /

noun

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

2. (among female animals) the habit or system of having two or more mates, either simultaneously or successively.

3. Botany. the state of being polyandrous.

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polyandry British  

/ ˈpɒlɪˌændrɪ /

noun

1. the practice or condition of being married to more than one husband at the same time Compare polygamy

2. the practice in animals of a female mating with more than one male during one breeding season

3. the condition in flowers of having a large indefinite number of stamens

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polyandry Cultural  

1. A practice in which women have two or more husbands at the same time. A rare form of polygamy, polyandry is practiced by only a few cultures. (Compare monogamy.)

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Other Word Forms

• polyandrous adjective

Etymology

Origin of polyandry

From the Greek word polyandría, dating back to 1770–80. See poly-, -andry

Example Sentences

Some modern scholars consider Darwin's failure to recognize polyandry as the wrench jamming up the works of evolution to be one of his biggest oversights.

From Salon

While the tomb reveals evidence of polygyny - men having children with multiple women - it also shows that polyandry was also widespread: women having children with multiple men.

From BBC

But Prof Machoko said polyandry was once practised in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, and it is still practised in Gabon, where the law allows it.

From BBC

“I wouldn’t suggest polyandry if the gender ratio was not so severely imbalanced,” Yew-Kwang Ng, who is Malaysian, wrote in his regular column on a Chinese business website this month.

From Washington Post

Occasionally, as in many of the 80-plus societies known to have practiced polyandry, several husbands exercised power over one wife.

From New York Times