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polyandry
[ pol-ee-an-dree, pol-ee-an- ]
noun
- the practice or condition of having more than one husband at one time. Compare monandry ( def 1 ).
- (among female animals) the habit or system of having two or more mates, either simultaneously or successively.
- Botany. the state of being polyandrous.
polyandry
/ ˈpɒlɪˌændrɪ /
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Derived Forms
- ˌpolyˈandrous, adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of polyandry1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of polyandry1
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Example Sentences
They practice polyandry.258 Infanticide was frequent among them until suppressed under the action of Government.
In Polynesia, where polyandry was very prevalent, this custom was at one time fairly rampant.
Under such circumstances the custom of polyandry is intelligible without further explanation.
It is everywhere set aside, to a greater or less extent, in favour of the two forms of polygamy—polygyny and polyandry.
Hence the original form of polygamy was probably not polygyny—the only form, practically, that later occurs—but polyandry.
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