amplexus

American  

[am-plek-suhs] / æmˈplɛk səs /

noun

plural

amplexuses, amplexus

1. the clasping posture of fertilization in frogs and toads.

---

Etymology

Origin of amplexus

1925–30; < New Latin, Latin: embrace, equivalent to amplect ( ī ) to embrace ( am-, variant of ambi- ambi- + plectī, deponent of plectere to plait, twine; cf. complex, plexus) + -tus suffix of v. action

Example Sentences

All the logic and desire that guides a female frog to a specific pond vanishes once she arrives, and a melee ensues as males race to cling to her in a tight embrace called amplexus.

From New York Times • Apr. 28, 2022

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Bombay Night frogs in Dorsal straddle: a new amplexus mode in frogs.

From The Guardian • Jun. 14, 2016

Male hyalinobatrachines battle on top of leaves and wrestle, with their fighting poses often resembling amplexus.

From Scientific American • Jan. 25, 2013

Clasping pairs are usually found at the edge of the water, but sometimes amplexus takes place in trees or bushes.

From Neotropical Hylid Frogs, Genus Smilisca by Duellman, William E.

Quern uocis iactum Roluo perinde ac inclytum sibi cognomen amplexus, urbanitatem dicti ingentis armill� dono prosequitur.

From Beowulf An Introduction to the Study of the Poem with a Discussion of the Stories of Offa and Finn by Chambers, R. W.