oviposit

American  

[oh-vuh-poz-it, oh-vuh-poz-] / ˌoʊ vəˈpɒz ɪt, ˈoʊ vəˌpɒz- /

verb (used without object)

1. to deposit or lay eggs, especially by means of an ovipositor.

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oviposit British  

/ ˌəʊvɪˈpɒzɪt /

verb

1. (intr) (of insects and fishes) to deposit eggs through an ovipositor

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Other Word Forms

• oviposition
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of oviposit

First recorded in 1810–20; ovi- + -posit, from Latin positus ( see posit)

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

oviposit

They may frequently be taken about tree trunks, or burrowing with their long gimlet-like ovipositors into the trunks of trees to oviposit.

From Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects by C. V. Riley

So closely confined are these weevils to their particular food plants that many of them distinguish between the different species of oak and will oviposit only in certain kinds of acorns.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Fifteenth Annual Meeting New York City, September 3, 4 and 5, 1924 by Northern Nut Growers Association

The species which oviposit on larger plants or trees are inclosed in a gauze bag tied over the branch.

From Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects by C. V. Riley

The females oviposit in the buds, and then cut them off when oviposition is completed, in order to protect the larva within, which later develops to the adult beetle.

From Trees, Fruits and Flowers of Minnesota, 1916 Embracing the Transactions of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society,Volume 44, from December 1, 1915, to December 1, 1916, Including the Twelve Numbers of "The Minnesota Horticulturist" for 1916 by A. W. Latham

From his long experience in rearing the eggs of these insects he concluded that the egg-laying females know in a most remarkable way the precise kinds of leaves upon which to oviposit.

From Butterflies Worth Knowing by Clarence M. Weed

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