polygyny

American  

[puh-lij-uh-nee] / pəˈlɪdʒ ə ni /

noun

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

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

3. (among social insects) the condition of having two or more functioning queens in a colony.

4. Botany. the state or condition of having many pistils or styles.

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polygyny British  

/ pəˈlɪdʒɪnɪ /

noun

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

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

3. the condition in flowers of having many carpels

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Other Word Forms

• polygynist
  noun
• polygynous
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of polygyny

1770–80; < Greek polygýn ( aios ) having many wives ( see poly-, gyn-) + -y ³

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

polygyny

While polygyny - the marriage of a man to several women - is allowed in South Africa, such relationships are usually registered as customary marriages and are not celebrated in church.

From BBC ● May 3, 2025

In resourced-based polygyny, males compete for territories with the best resources, and then mate with females that enter the territory, drawn to its resource richness.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

That’s why some 16 million men today can trace their ancestry back to Genghis Khan, a tyrant who pushed polygyny to its physical limits.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 15, 2015

The Canadian researchers are really talking about polygyny, which is the term for one man with multiple wives, and which is by far the most common expression of polygamy.

From Slate ● Jan. 30, 2012

In fact, in such a social state, polygyny can only constitute an exception.

From The Sexual Question A Scientific, psychological, hygienic and sociological study by Auguste Forel

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