fertilization

American  

[fur-tl-uh-zey-shuhn] / ˌfɜr tl əˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. an act, process, or instance of fertilizing.

2. the state of being fertilized.

3. Biology.

   1. the union of male and female gametic nuclei.

   2. fecundation or impregnation of animals or plants.

4. the enrichment of soil, as for the production of crops.

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fertilization British  

/ ˌfɜːtɪlaɪˈzeɪʃən /

noun

1. the union of male and female gametes, during sexual reproduction, to form a zygote

2. the act or process of fertilizing

3. the state of being fertilized

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fertilization Scientific  

/ fûr′tl-ĭ-zā′shən /

1. The process by which two gametes (reproductive cells having a single, haploid set of chromosomes) fuse to become a zygote, which develops into a new organism. The resultant zygote is diploid (it has two sets of chromosomes). In cross-fertilization, the two gametes come from two different individual organisms. In self-fertilization, the gametes come from the same individual. Fertilization includes the union of the cytoplasm of the gametes (called plasmogamy) followed by the union of the nuclei of the two gametes (called karyogamy). Among many animals, such as mammals, fertilization occurs inside the body of the female. Among fish, eggs are fertilized in the water. Among plants, fertilization of eggs occurs within the reproductive structures of the parent plant, such as the ovules of gymnosperms and angiosperms.

2. See Note at pollination

3. The process of making soil more productive of plant growth, as by the addition of organic material or fertilizer.

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fertilization Cultural  

1. The joining of sex cells to form a new living thing. In humans, a male sperm joins a female ovum, or egg; the resulting zygote divides into a multicelled structure that implants in the womb and grows into an embryo. In plants, pollen grains, containing the male sex cells, enter the female sex cells in the pistil; from this union, fruit eventually grows. When fertilization occurs within a single flower, we call it self-fertilization. (See cross-fertilization.)

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Other Word Forms

• fertilizational adjective
• overfertilization noun
• prefertilization noun
• refertilization noun

Etymology

Origin of fertilization

First recorded in 1855–60; fertilize + -ation

Example Sentences

Off-season produce is vulnerable to higher prices because of the increased price of diesel fuel for trucks, refrigeration and fertilization, said Stanley Lim, co-director of Michigan State University’s Food Access & Supply Chain Technology Lab.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 21, 2026

"Our work extends the known geographic extent of guano fertilization, echoing recent findings in northern Chile, and suggests soil management began at least around 800 years ago in Peru."

From Science Daily • Mar. 7, 2026

“I’ll be known as the fertilization president and that’s OK,” he boasted last spring during a women’s history event at the White House.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

Using resources such as MSU's Mass Spectrometry and Metabolomics Core, the team assembled a detailed picture of the multi step, high energy process sperm rely on to achieve fertilization.

From Science Daily • Feb. 14, 2026

In the spring of 1959, when discussions of my fertilization got under way, my mother couldn’t foresee that women would soon be burning their brassieres by the thousand.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• breeding
• implantation
• pollination
• procreation
• propagation