oviposition

American  

[oh-vuh-puh-zish-uhn] / ˌoʊ və pəˈzɪʃ ən /

noun

1. the act or process of depositing or laying eggs, especially by means of an ovipositor.

   At oviposition, the turtle's eggs pass between the bones of her pelvis into the sandy hole she has dug.

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Etymology

Origin of oviposition

First recorded in 1800–10; ovi- ( def. ) + position ( def. )

Example Sentences

Egg-guide: Orthoptera; two small pointed prolongations of the ventral portion of the 8th abdominal segment, between upper and lower valves, used in oviposition.

From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.

These conventions always take place after oviposition, and careful and repeated observation has shown me that they are not connected with procreation or alimentation.

From The Dawn of Reason or, Mental Traits in the Lower Animals by Weir, James

They have believed with Wallace that the greater dangers of the female, with slower flight and often alighting for oviposition, have been in part met by the high development of this special mode of protection.

From Darwin and Modern Science by Seward, A. C. (Albert Charles)

A female insect eaten before oviposition has a greater ecologic significance than one eaten after she has laid her eggs and is ready to die.

From Food of the Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos Brehm, in South-central Kansas by Platt, Dwight

The eggs of some of the Agrions are bright apple-green, but I cannot be sure that I have ever seen them in the very act of oviposition.

From Our Common Insects A Popular Account of the Insects of Our Fields, Forests, Gardens and Houses by Packard, A. S. (Alpheus Spring)