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• virgin birth
  virgin birth

  noun

  the doctrine or dogma that, by the miraculous agency of God, the birth of Christ did not impair or prejudice the virginity of Mary.
• Virgin Birth
  Virgin Birth

  noun

  the doctrine that Jesus Christ had no human father but was conceived solely by the direct intervention of the Holy Spirit so that Mary remained miraculously a virgin during and after his birth

virgin birth

American  

noun

1. Theology. the doctrine or dogma that, by the miraculous agency of God, the birth of Christ did not impair or prejudice the virginity of Mary.

2. Zoology. parthenogenesis; parturition by a female who has not copulated.

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Virgin Birth ¹ British  

noun

1. the doctrine that Jesus Christ had no human father but was conceived solely by the direct intervention of the Holy Spirit so that Mary remained miraculously a virgin during and after his birth

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virgin birth ² British  

noun

1. another name for parthenogenesis

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Etymology

Origin of virgin birth

First recorded in 1645–55

Example Sentences

But those offspring were made by tinkering with egg cells in laboratory dishes rather than by giving female animals the capacity for virgin birth, also known as parthenogenesis.

From Scientific American • Aug. 1, 2023

Commonly referred to as a "virgin birth," most animals who reproduce this way are small invertebrates, or sometimes, long isolated, such as in a zoo.

From Salon • Jul. 28, 2023

The phenomenon of so-called "virgin birth" has been found in species of birds, fish and other reptiles, but never before in crocodiles.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2023

The discovery of virgin birth in plants is widely credited to John Smith, a 19th century botanist who served as the inaugural curator at London’s Royal Botanic Gardens.

From Science Magazine • May 17, 2023

Before Strauss men had appreciated that particular episodes, like the virgin birth and the bodily resurrection, might have some such explanation as this.

From An Outline of the History of Christian Thought Since Kant by Moore, Edward Caldwell