polygynous

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

English polygyny

Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed-

Proto-Indo-European *-os

Proto-Indo-European *h₃édosder.?

Proto-Italic *-ō̆tsos?

Old Latin -ōssus

Latin -ōsus

Old French -usbor.

Middle English -ous

English -ous

English polygynous

From polygyny + -ous.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pəˈlɪd͡ʒɪnəs/

Adjective

polygynous (not comparable)

1. (botany) Having many styles; belonging to the order Polygynia.

   Synonym: polygynian

2. Having more than one female as wife or mate; practicing polygyny.

   Coordinate terms: monogynous, oligogynous

   Coordinate term: polyandrous

   Hypernym: polygamous

   • 2016, Justin O. Schmidt, The Sting of the Wild, Johns Hopkins University Press, →ISBN, page 86:

     These polygynous [wasp] colonies, with multiple functional queens, continue to grow unabated.

Derived terms

• nonpolygynous
• polygynously

Translations

practicing polygyny

• Czech: polygynní
• Finnish: monivaimoinen, polygyninen
• French: polygyne (fr)
• Hungarian: többnejű (hu)
• Italian: poligino m
• Polish: wielożenny (pl), poliginiczny (pl)
• Welsh: amlwreiciog

References

• “polygynous”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “polygynous”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “polygynous”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.