Fertilization

fer·til·i·za·tion   (fûr'tl-ĭ-zā'shən)    n.   The act or process of initiating biological reproduction by insemination or pollination. The union of male and female gametes to form a zygote. The act or process of applying a fertilizer. fer'til·i·za'tion·al adj.

fertilization

The joining of sex cells to form a new living thing. In humans, a male sperm joins a female ovum, or egg; the resulting zygote divides into a multicelled structure that implants in the womb and grows into an embryo. In plants, pollen grains, containing the male sex cells, enter the female sex cells in the pistil; from this union, fruit eventually grows. When fertilization occurs within a single flower, we call it self-fertilization. (See cross-fertilization.)

Main Entry: fer·til·iza·tion
Variant: or British fer·til·isa·tion /"f&rt-^&l-&-'zA-sh&n/
Function: noun
: an act or process of making fertile: as a : an act or process of fecundation, insemination, or impregnation b : the process ofunion of two gametes whereby the somatic chromosome number is restored and the development of a new individual is initiated —fer·til·ize or British fer·til·ise /'f&rt-^&l-"Iz/ transitive verb -ized or British -ised; -iz·ing or British -is·ing

fertilization fer·til·i·za·tion (fûr'tl-ĭ-zā'shən)
n.
The union of male and female gametes to form a zygote, a process that begins with the penetration of the secondary oocyte by the spermatozoon and is completed with the fusion of the male and female pronuclei.