Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| viviparous (vɪˈvɪpərəs) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | oviparous Compare ovoviviparous (of animals) producing offspring that as embryos develop within and derive nourishment from the body of the female parent |
| 2. | (of plants) producing bulbils or young plants instead of flowers |
| 3. | (of seeds) germinating before separating from the parent plant |
| [C17: from Latin vīviparus, from vīvus alive + parere to bring forth] | |
| viviparity | |
| —n | |
| vi'vipary | |
| —n | |
| vi'viparism | |
| —n | |
| vi'viparousness | |
| —n | |
| vi'viparously | |
| —adv | |
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viviparous
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viviparous vi·vip·a·rous (vī-vĭp'ər-əs, vĭ-)
adj.
Giving birth to living offspring that develop within the mother's body as for most mammals.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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viviparous  (vī-vĭp'ər-əs) Pronunciation Key
Giving birth to living young that develop within the mother's body rather than hatching from eggs. All mammals except the monotremes are viviparous. Compare oviparous, ovoviviparous. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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viviparity
retention and growth of the fertilized egg within the maternal body until the young animal, as a larva or newborn, is capable of independent existence. The growing embryo derives continuous nourishment from the mother, usually through a placenta or similar structure. This is the case in most mammals, many reptiles, and a few lower organisms. A more primitive condition, known as ovoviviparity and found in certain snakes, is the simple retention of the egg until it hatches. In this case the embryo derives food from the yolk present in the egg and is not dependent on the mother except for physical protection. Compare oviparity.
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