heterogynous

American

[het-uh-roj-uh-nuhs] / ˌhɛt əˈrɒdʒ ə nəs /

adjective

Zoology.

having females of two different kinds, one sexual and the other abortive or neuter, as ants.

heterogynous British

/ ˌhɛtəˈrɒdʒɪnəs /

adjective

(of ants, bees, etc) having two types of female, one fertile and the other infertile

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of heterogynous

First recorded in 1850–55; hetero- + -gynous

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023