Definition of "polygyny"

polygyny

/pəˈlɪd͡ʒ.ɪ.ni/

noun
countable and uncountable, plural polygynies
1. The state or practice of having several wives at the same time; plurality of wives; marriage to several wives.
  Quotations
  We may infer that in most cases where polygyny exists, monogamy co-exists to a greater extent, and in all other cases to a considerable extent.
  1883, Herbert Spencer, The Principles of Sociology, page 685
2. The condition of an ant colony that has multiple egg-laying queens.