oviparous
producing eggs that mature and hatch after being expelled from the body, as birds, most reptiles and fishes, and the monotremes.
Compare Meanings
Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.
Origin of oviparous
1Other words from oviparous
- o·vi·par·i·ty [oh-vuh-par-i-tee], /ˌoʊ vəˈpær ɪ ti/, o·vip·a·rous·ness, noun
- o·vip·a·rous·ly, adverb
Words Nearby oviparous
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use oviparous in a sentence
It is an oviparous animal, and its eggs scarcely exceed in size those of a goose.
The Book of Curiosities | I. PlattsThe same kind of animal is then at one time of the year viviparous, and at another oviparous.
The Book of Curiosities | I. PlattsHis purpose was the study of the wonderful Australian fauna, the oviparous mammals, marsupials, and ceratodus (lungfish).
Their nervous system also is not materially different, and they are both oviparous.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4) | William KirbyBy far the larger portion of insects is oviparous in the ordinary acceptation of the term.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4) | William Kirby
British Dictionary definitions for oviparous
/ (əʊˈvɪpərəs) /
(of fishes, reptiles, birds, etc) producing eggs that hatch outside the body of the mother: Compare ovoviviparous, viviparous (def. 1)
Derived forms of oviparous
- oviparity (ˌəʊvɪˈpærɪtɪ), noun
- oviparously, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for oviparous
[ ō-vĭp′ər-əs ]
Producing eggs that hatch outside the body. Amphibians, birds, and most insects, fish, and reptiles are oviparous. Compare ovoviviparous viviparous.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse