Table of Contents
Definition of Polygyny
(noun) A type of marriage in which a man has multiple wives at the same time.
Example of Polygyny
- The Mormon Church (also called Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints) initially encouraged men to have multiple wives. However, the practice was banned in 1890 when Utah applied for statehood in the United States Despite this, the practice continues in some fundamentalist sects of the church.
Polygyny Pronunciation
Syllabification: po·lyg·y·ny
Audio Pronunciation
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
- Family and Kinship Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “polygyny” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
Works Consulted
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Cite the Definition of Polygyny
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “polygyny.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved October 15, 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 October 15, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/polygyny/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“polygyny.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/polygyny/>.