Meanings
- uncountablebiologyThe situation where an ant colony is established across multiple nest sites.
Thus polydomy ensues when an entire colony breaks up into several nesting aggregations.
1987, Jörg Eder, Chemistry and biology of social insects, page 352 more examples
The outpost phenomenon probably accounts for many cases of polydomy, defined as the dispersal of the colony into multiple nest sites.
1990, Bert Hölldobler, The Ants, page 390Although this uncertainty exists, the lack of absolute male bias confirms that seasonal polydomy is not a major influence on the population sex ratio.
1995, Andrew F. G. Bourke, Social Evolution in Ants, page 187
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Ancient Greekδόμος“house”
- Englishpolydomy
From poly- + Ancient Greek δόμος (dómos, “house”) + -y.
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
polydomy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polydomy
“polydomy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polydomy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “polydomy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polydomy.
Source: polydomy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.