polygynandry

English

Etymology

From polygyn(y) + (poly)andry.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pɒlid͡ʒɪˈnændɹi/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /pɑlid͡ʒɪˈnændɹi/

Noun

polygynandry (uncountable)

1. (anthropology, zoology) A mating pattern involving multiple males and multiple females. [from 20th c.]
   • 2016, David P. Barash, Out of Eden, Oxford, page 29:

     If you've never heard of polygynandry before, this isn't surprising because it is a very unusual mating system, found only in a tiny number of vertebrate species and in no other primates.

Derived terms

• polygynandrous