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oviparity

 - 7 dictionary results

o⋅vip⋅a⋅rous

  [oh-vip-er-uhs]
Use oviparity in a Sentence
–adjective Zoology.
producing eggs that mature and hatch after being expelled from the body, as birds, most reptiles and fishes, and the monotremes.
Origin:
1640–50; < L ōviparus. See ovi-, -parous

Related forms:
o⋅vi⋅par⋅i⋅ty  [oh-vuh-par-i-tee] , o⋅vip⋅a⋅rous⋅ness, noun
o⋅vip⋅a⋅rous⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To oviparity
o·vip·a·rous   (ō-vĭp'ər-əs)   
adj.  Producing eggs that hatch outside the body.
o'vi·par'i·ty (ō'və-pār'ĭ-tē) n., o·vip'a·rous·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

oviparous 
"producing eggs that are hatched outside the body of the female," 1646, from L. oviparus, from ovum "egg" (see egg) + stem of parere "to bring forth" (see pare).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ovi·par·i·ty
Pronunciation: "O-v&-'par-&t-E
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ties
: thequality or state of being oviparous

Main Entry: ovip·a·rous
Pronunciation: O-'vip-(&-)r&s
Function: adjective
: producing eggs that develop and hatch outside the maternalbody; also : involving the production of such eggs —compare LARVIPAROUS, OVOVIVIPAROUS, VIVIPAROUS —ovip·a·rous·ness noun
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Science Dictionary
oviparous   (ō-vĭp'ər-əs)  Pronunciation Key 
Producing eggs that hatch outside the body. Amphibians, birds, and most insects, fish, and reptiles are oviparous. Compare ovoviviparous, viviparous.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

oviparity

expulsion of undeveloped eggs rather than live young. The eggs may have been fertilized before release, as in birds and some reptiles, or are to be fertilized externally, as in amphibians and many lower forms. In general, the number of eggs produced by oviparous species greatly exceeds the number of offspring from species that bear live young, but the chances of survival are diminished because of the lack of maternal protection. Compare viviparity.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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