pol·y·an·dry

[pol-ee-an-dree, pol-ee-an-]
noun
1.
the practice or condition of having more than one husband at one time. Compare monandry ( def 1 ).
2.
(among female animals) the habit or system of having two or more mates, either simultaneously or successively.
3.
Botany. the state of being polyandrous.

Origin:
1770–80; < Greek polyandría. See poly-, -andry

bigamy, polyandry, polygamy, polygyny.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
polyandry (ˈpɒlɪˌændrɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  Compare polygamy the practice or condition of being married to more than one husband at the same time
2.  the practice in animals of a female mating with more than one male during one breeding season
3.  the condition in flowers of having a large indefinite number of stamens
 
[C18: from Greek poluandria, from poly- + -andria from anēr man]
 
poly'androus
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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00:10
Polyandry is always a great word to know.
So is sporophyte generation. Does it mean:
ovules in flowering plants which are enclosed during pollination
phase in plant life which starts with a zygote produced by sexual reproduction
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

polyandry
1780, from Late Gk. polyandria, from polys "many" (see poly-) + andr-, stem of aner "man, husband."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
polyandry [(pol-ee-an-dree)]

A practice in which women have two or more husbands at the same time. A rare form of polygamy, polyandry is practiced by only a few cultures. (Compare monogamy.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
The term polygamy covers polygyny, polyandry as well as group marriage.
Although monogamy was the norm, marriage variants such as sororal polygamy and polyandry were present.
These religious groups practice polygyny, not polyandry.
The results from this study suggest the evolutionary practice of polyandry in honeybees is intimately linked to colony fitness.
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