Table of Contents
Definition of Polyandry
(noun) Any condition or practice of a female having multiple husbands at the same time.
Example of Polyandry
- The Toda people who live in southern India traditionally practiced polyandry but the practice is waning. The Todas specifically practiced fraternal polyandry (also called adelphic polyandry) in which a female marries two brothers.
Polyandry Pronunciation
Syllabification: pol·y·an·dry
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /pAHl-ee-an-dree/
- British English – /pOl-ian-dree/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈpɑliˌændri/
- British English – /ˌpɒlɪˈandri/
Usage Notes
- A type of polyamory and polygamy.
- Polyandry is the opposite of monandry.
- Type: adelphogamy
- A (noun) polyandrist engages in a (adjective) polyandric or (adjective) polyandrous or (adjective) polyandristic relationship.
Additional Information
- Family and Kinship Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “polyandry” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Singh, Chetan, ed. 2011. Recognizing Diversity: Society and Culture in the Himalaya. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Related Terms
Works Consulted
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Cite the Definition of Polyandry
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “polyandry.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 19, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/polyandry/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
polyandry. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/polyandry/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “polyandry.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/polyandry/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“polyandry.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/polyandry/>.