polygyny

polygyny
po·lyg·y·ny pə-'lij-ə-nē n, pl -nies the state or practice of having more than one wife or female mate at one time compare POLYANDRY, POLYGAMY
po·lyg·y·nous -nəs adj

* * *

po·lyg·y·ny (pə-lijґĭ-ne) [poly- + Gr. gynē woman] 1. polygamy in which a man is married concurrently to more than one woman. 2. an animal mating system seen in polygamous species, in which the male mates with more than one female. 3. union of two or more female pronuclei with one male pronucleus, resulting in polyploidy of the zygote. Cf. polyandry.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Polygyny — (which comes from neo Greek: πολύ poly many + γυνή gyny woman ) is a specific form of polygamy, where a male individual is recognized to have more than one female sexual partner or wife at the same time. It is distinguished from a man having… …   Wikipedia

  • Polygyny — Po*lyg y*ny, n. [Poly + Gr. ? woman, wife.] The state or practice of having several wives at the same time; marriage to several wives. H. Spenser. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • polygyny — polygyny. См. полигиния. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • polygyny — (n.) 1780, having many wives, from poly many (see POLY (Cf. poly )) + Gk. gyne woman, wife (see QUEEN (Cf. queen)). Related: Polygynous …   Etymology dictionary

  • polygyny — ► NOUN ▪ polygamy in which a man has more than one wife. DERIVATIVES polygynous adjective. ORIGIN from Greek gun woman …   English terms dictionary

  • polygyny — [pə lij′ə nē, pōlij′ə nē] n. [< ModL polygynia < POLY + Gr gynē, woman, wife: see GYNO ] 1. the state or practice of having two or more wives at the same time 2. Bot. the fact of having many styles or pistils 3. Zool. the mating of a male… …   English World dictionary

  • polygyny — /peuh lij euh nee/, n. 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… …   Universalium

  • polygyny — A term denoting the concurrent marriage of one man with two or more women. This is not uncommon and is widespread in human societies. Where the women involved are sisters it is termed sororal polygyny. Some writers appear to use polygamy rather… …   Dictionary of sociology

  • polygyny — n. [Gr. polys, many; gyne, female] 1. The mating of a male with more than one female; see monogamy. 2. (ARTHROPODA: Insecta) In Hymenoptera, the coexistance of several to many queens in the same colony. a. Primary polygyny: Two or more queens… …   Dictionary of invertebrate zoology

  • Polygyny threshold model — The polygyny threshold model is an explanation of polygyny, the mating of one male species with multiple females. The model shows how females may gain a higher level of biological fitness by mating with a male who already has a mate. The female… …   Wikipedia

  • Polygyny in Islam — This is a sub article to Polygyny and Islamic marital jurisprudenceIn Islam, polygamy is allowed and practised under certain restricted conditions. Muslim men are allowed to practise polygyny and can have more than one wife at the same time, up… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”