gyne (j?n)n. A female social insect that is or has the potential to become a reproductive queen, in contrast to a sterile worker.[Greek gun?, woman; see gwen- in Indo-European roots.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.