conception
the act of conceiving; the state of being conceived.
fertilization; inception of pregnancy.
something that is conceived: That machine is the conception of a genius.
origination; beginning: The organization has been beset by problems from its conception.
a sketch of something not actually existing: an artist's conception of ancient Athens.
the act or power of forming notions, ideas, or concepts.
Origin of conception
1Other words from conception
- con·cep·tion·al, adjective
- con·cep·tive, adjective
- post·con·cep·tion, adjective
- re·con·cep·tion, noun
Words that may be confused with conception
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use conception in a sentence
The real cause is converted into an impersonal means, a merely conceptional, imaginary cause usurps the place of the true one.
The Essence of Christianity | Ludwig FeuerbachThe history of the future municipality of Montreal may now be said to be in its conceptional stage.
Montreal 1535-1914, Volume II (of 2) | William Henry AthertonHere, again, reality is left behind and a mere conceptional construction is put in its place.
This would also be the case had Arunta totemism always been conceptional and fortuitous.
Method in the Study of Totemism | Andrew LangConsequently the chance distribution of totems on the present conceptional Arunta system has not caused this uniform phenomenon.
Method in the Study of Totemism | Andrew Lang
British Dictionary definitions for conception
/ (kənˈsɛpʃən) /
something conceived; notion, idea, design, or plan
the description under which someone considers something: her conception of freedom is wrong
the fertilization of an ovum by a sperm in the Fallopian tube followed by implantation in the womb
origin or beginning: from its conception the plan was a failure
the act or power of forming notions; invention
Origin of conception
1Derived forms of conception
- conceptional or conceptive, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for conception
[ kən-sĕp′shən ]
The formation of a zygote resulting from the union of a sperm and egg cell; fertilization.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for conception
Fertilization; the union of the sperm and ovum to form a zygote. (See reproductive systems.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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