What is the meaning of polyandry?

Polygamy is a marriage pattern that allows for multiple spouses, Polygamy comes in two main forms, polygyny and polyandry. Polyandry can be most simply defined as a form of marriage in which one woman has more than one husband at a time.

So far, it mirrors the definition of polygyny, in which one man has more than one wife at a time. Less than a dozen cultures are known to have practiced polyandry.

This rarity is mainly due to the high mortality of males, and the limitation placed on procreation in a polyandrous marriage, which runs counter to the values of most cultures.

Polyandry is the rarest form of marriage, having generally been found only in areas of Nepal, Tibet, India and Sri Lanka. Each of the groups that practice polyandry differs somewhat regarding the relationship of the husbands to one another, paternity classifications, and socio-economic benefits of the marriage.

The men who share sexual access to one woman will have fewer descendents under most circumstances than men who have either sole access to one woman or access to more than one woman.

In Tibet, fraternal polyandry has sometimes been practiced, where a group of brothers marry one woman to keep the farm intact and limit the number of offspring.
What is the meaning of polyandry?