The Collaborative International Dictionary
Polygynian \Pol`y*gyn"i*an\, Polygynous \Po*lyg"y*nous\, a. (Bot.) Having many styles; belonging to the order Polygynia.
Wiktionary
a. 1 (context botany English) Having many styles; belonging to the order Polygynia; polygynian. 2 Having more than one female as wife or mate; practicing polygyny.
WordNet
adj. having more than one wife at a time
Usage examples of "polygynous".
Among the minority of adult male mammals that do offer their offspring paternal care are polygynous male zebras and gorillas with harems of females, male gibbons paired off with females as solitary couples, and saddleback tamarin monkeys, of which two adult males are kept as a harem by one polyan-drous adult female.
There is something to be said for the polygynous or polyandrous household as a school for children: children really do suffer from having too few parents: this is why uncles and aunts and tutors and governesses are often so good for children.
However, even in officially polygynous societies most men have only one wife at a time, and only especially wealthy men can acquire and maintain a few wives simultaneously.
As the name implies, this behavior is the opposite of the common polygynous breeding systems in which big males compete fiercely with each other to acquire a harem of females.
Most flycatcher males are nominally monogamous, but many try to be polygynous, and quite a few succeed.
The conclusion seems inescapable that polygynous males accept the disadvantage of a remote second household in order to deceive the prospective secondary mate and conceal from her the existence of the first household.
That makes MRSs especially risky for polygynous males, who spend much time in their other territory or commuting between their two territories.
The polygynous males try to pull off EPCs themselves and on the average make one attempt every twenty-five minutes, but once every eleven minutes some other male is sneaking into their own territory to try for an EPC.
It's striking that polygynous males don't court a second spouse at any of dozens of potential nest holes near the first nest, even though they would thereby reduce their commuting time between nests, have more time available to feed their young, and reduce their risk of being cuckolded while en route.
Among the minority of adult male mammals that do offer their offspring paternal care are polygynous male zebras and gorillas with harems of females, male gibbons paired off with females as solitary couples, and saddleback tamarin monkeys, of which two adult males are kept as a harem by one polyan-drous adult female.