copulation

American  

[kop-yuh-ley-shuhn] / ˌkɒp yəˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

1. sexual intercourse.

2. a joining together or coupling.

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Etymology

Origin of copulation

1350–1400; Middle English copulacion < Latin cōpulātiōn- (stem of copulātio ) a binding together. See copulate, -ion

Explanation

Copulation is a word for sex — a more scientific way of saying "sexual intercourse." You can use this word to describe the sexual practices of both humans and animals. Zoologists need to make sure there is copulation among endangered animals such as pandas. Stray animals like cats engage in a lot of copulation, which is why there are so many cats. If your female dog is not fixed and copulates at the park, you might have puppies on the way soon.

Example Sentences

Snails also exhibit no outward gender identity until the moment of copulation.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2021

This "forced extra-pair copulation," as it's known, is a fairly rare strategy across birds as a whole.

From Salon • Jul. 25, 2021

“Witnessing white pointer copulation is informally referred to among scholars as the ‘holy grail’ of white shark ecology,” Crawford, a marine biologist from the University of Guelph in Canada, told the Guardian.

From The Guardian • Sep. 4, 2020

They tie up the female before copulation, immobilizing her legs by wrapping them in strong spider silk so they can copulate and escape with their lives before the female gets free.

From New York Times • Mar. 14, 2016

In the laboratory, male gypsy moths have attempted copulation with chips of wood, vermiculite, and other small, inanimate objects, so long as they were suitably impregnated with gyplure.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• intercourse
• procreation
• sexual intercourse