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monogyny

/məˈnɑdʒəni/
IPA guide

Monogyny is when a man has only one wife, or a male animal has just one female mate. In the animal world, honeybees practice monogyny.

Officially, monogyny among animals means that while the male honeybee (or spider, or ant, for example) will limit himself to a single mate, females are free to mate with many different males. This is the difference between monogyny and monogamy, in which both male and female sticks to one mate. Monogyny uses the Greek root mono, or "one," along with the Greek gunē, "woman."

Definitions of monogyny
  1. noun
    having only one wife at a time
    see moresee less
    type of:
    monogamousness, monogamy
    having only one spouse at a time
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