self-fertilization
Botany. fertilization of an ovum of a plant by a male gamete from the same flower (opposed to cross-fertilization).
Zoology. fertilization of the ovum of a hermaphroditic animal by a sperm from the same individual, as in some species of tapeworm.
Origin of self-fertilization
1Other words from self-fertilization
- self-fer·ti·lized, adjective
Words Nearby self-fertilization
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use self-fertilization in a sentence
In the flower where the father and mother part matures at the same time, self-fertilization is the rule.
The Mother and Her Child | William S. SadlerAnd he shows how this species is even wonderfully and specially modified to effect self-fertilization.
On the Genesis of Species | St. George MivartDr. Gray thought it very likely there would; for, when cross-fertilization is not effected, self-fertilization often takes place.
I think the evidence of the self-fertilization is far clearer than that of the cross-fertilization.
They possess no possible resource for self-fertilization in the neglect of these insect sponsors.
My Studio Neighbors | William Hamilton Gibson
British Dictionary definitions for self-fertilization
fertilization in a plant or animal by the fusion of male and female gametes produced by the same individual: Compare cross-fertilization
Derived forms of self-fertilization
- self-fertilized, adjective
- self-fertilizing or self-fertile, 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 self-fertilization
[ sĕlf′fûr′tl-ĭ-zā′shən ]
Fertilization that occurs when male and female gametes produced by the same organism unite. Self-fertilization occurs in many protozoans and invertebrate animals. It results from self-pollination in plants. Self-fertilization allows an isolated individual organism to reproduce but restricts the genetic diversity of a community. Compare cross-fertilization.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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