polyandrous
Americanadjective
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of, pertaining to, characterized by, or practicing polyandry; polyandric.
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Botany. having an indefinite number of stamens.
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Relating to a species of animals in which the females mate with more than one male in a single breeding season.
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Relating to an angiosperm plant that has an indefinite number of stamens in its flowers.
Etymology
Origin of polyandrous
First recorded in 1820–30, polyandrous is from the Greek word polyándros having many husbands. See poly-, -androus
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Female chimps and bonobos, on the other hand, are decidedly polyandrous.
From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2022
In polyandrous mating systems, one female mates with many males.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Like pouched mice, wambengers and other dasyurids, kalutas are polyandrous, which means they mate with multiple partners.
From New York Times ● Aug. 28, 2019
When I examined the wider literature I realized just how common polyandrous mating by females actually was across primates.
From Scientific American ● Mar. 16, 2012
The birds being gregarious build on adjoining trees, and while the ladies are engaged with their domestic affairs their lords keep each other company, so the natives put them down as polyandrous.
From The Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds, Volume 1 by Allan Octavian Hume
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
