epigamic

American  

[ep-i-gam-ik] / ˌɛp ɪˈgæm ɪk /

adjective

Zoology.

1. serving to attract a mate, as the colors of certain birds.

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epigamic British  

/ ˌɛpɪˈɡæmɪk /

adjective

1. zoology attractive to the opposite sex

   epigamic coloration

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Etymology

Origin of epigamic

First recorded in 1885–90; from Greek epígam(os) “marriageable” ( see epi-, -gamous) + -ic

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Explanation

In biology, epigamic features and behaviors, such as a male bird’s bright feathers or a special way of displaying them, help to attract a mate. In epigamic selection, members of one gender seek or choose a mate by displaying certain features or behaviors, e.g., brightly colored feathers or an elaborate dance. While epigamic traits may increase the chances of reproducing, they sometimes hinder survival chances. For example, a male peacock's massive, iridescent tail is a purely epigamic feature meant to attract peahens, but it's so big, it makes it harder to fly and escape from predators. Epigamic comes from the Greek word epigamos, "marriageable," from the root gamia, "the act of marrying."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

epigamic

Scientists examining the ticklish subject have offered assorted explanations: mustaches are telltale signs of political conservatism or father worship, emblems of confident nonconformity, or "epigamic adornments designed to win mates, like phosphorescence in fireflies."

From Time Magazine Archive

Such similarities suggest either a common origin for certain aggressive and epigamic displays or the derivation of one from the other.

From Natural History of the Bell Vireo, Vireo bellii Audubon by Jon C. Barlow

A dummy Bell Vireo elicited both agonistic and epigamic behavior from nesting pairs, depending on the phase of the nesting cycle.

From Natural History of the Bell Vireo, Vireo bellii Audubon by Jon C. Barlow

Although there is epigamic display in species with sexes alike, it is usually most marked in those with secondary sexual characters specially developed in the male.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 6 "Cockaigne" to "Columbus, Christopher" by Various

Entirely new light upon the seasonal appearance of epigamic characters is shed by the recent researches of C.W.

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

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