1. the practice of having more than one husband at the same time
Usage: anthropological term
2. a mating system in which one female mates with multiple males
Usage: biology; zoology

Examples

• Polyandry is practiced in some traditional societies in Tibet and Nepal.
• The anthropologist studied polyandry among certain mountain communities.
• In some bird species, polyandry allows females to maximize their reproductive success.
• Polyandry is much less common than polygamy across human cultures.
• The research examined polyandry as an adaptive mating strategy in harsh environments.
• Some insects exhibit polyandry where females mate with multiple males.