-gyny

American  

1. a combining form occurring in nouns corresponding to adjectives ending in -gynous:

   androgyny.

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Usage

What does -gyny mean? The combining form -gyny is used like a suffix to indicate the abstract noun form of adjectives ending in -gynous, a form meaning “of women” or "of females." It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in botany. In terms from botany, -gyny specifically means "state of having pistils," the seed-bearing female organ of a flower. In some rare instances, such as the term monogyny, the form is used to mean "the state of having a wife."The form -gyny comes from Greek -gynos, roughly meaning “female.”What are variants of -gyny?While -gyny doesn’t have any variants, it is related to several other combining forms: gyn-, -gyne, gynec-, gyneco-, gyno-, and -gynous. Want to know more? Check out our Words that Use articles for each form.