amphimixis

[ am-fuh-mik-sis ]

noun,plural am·phi·mix·es [am-fuh-mik-seez]. /ˌæm fəˈmɪk siz/.
  1. Biology. the merging of the nuclei of the sperm and egg cells; sexual reproduction.

  2. Psychoanalysis. the combining of anal and genital eroticism in the development of sexuality.

Origin of amphimixis

1
1890–95; amphi- + Greek míxis a mingling, equivalent to mig- (stem of mígnynai to mix) + -sis-sis

Other words from amphimixis

  • am·phi·mic·tic [am-fuh-mik-tik], /ˌæm fəˈmɪk tɪk/, adjective
  • am·phi·mic·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby amphimixis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use amphimixis in a sentence

  • When a fresh nucleus has been thus formed (by amphimixis) in each of the copulating cells, they again separate.

    The Wonders of Life | Ernst Haeckel
  • amphimixis, as we have seen, is one of the most potent forces against which the evolution of a new species has to contend.

    Parallel Paths | Thomas William Rolleston
  • amphimixis: the mingling of the germ plasm of two individuals.

British Dictionary definitions for amphimixis

amphimixis

/ (ˌæmfɪˈmɪksɪs) /


nounplural -mixes (-ˈmɪksiːz)
  1. true sexual reproduction by the fusion of gametes from two organisms: Compare apomixis

Origin of amphimixis

1
C19: from amphi- + Greek mixis a blending, from mignunai to mingle

Derived forms of amphimixis

  • amphimictic, 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