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polygyny

Definition of Polygyny

(noun) A type of marriage in which a man has multiple wives at the same time.

Example of Polygyny

Polygyny Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: po·lyg·y·ny

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /puh-lIj-uh-nee/
  • British English – /puh-lIj-i-nee/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /pəˈlɪdʒᵻni/
  • British English – /pəˈlɪdʒᵻni/

Usage Notes

  • Sororal polygyny is when two sisters are the wives of one man.
  • A type of marriage, polyamory, and polygamy.
  • A (noun) polygynist engages in a (adjective) polygynous or (adjective) polygynistic relationship.

Additional Information

Related Terms


Works Consulted

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Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).

Cite the Definition of Polygyny

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “polygyny.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved March 29, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/polygyny/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

polygyny. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/polygyny/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “polygyny.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed March 29, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/polygyny/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“polygyny.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/polygyny/>.