oviparous

[ oh-vip-er-uhs ]

/ oʊˈvɪp ər əs /

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adjective Zoology.

producing eggs that mature and hatch after being expelled from the body, as birds, most reptiles and fishes, and the monotremes.

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Origin of oviparous

From the Latin word ōviparus, dating back to 1640–50. See ovi-, -parous

OTHER WORDS FROM oviparous

o·vi·par·i·ty

[oh-vuh-par-i-tee], /ˌoʊ vəˈpær ɪ ti/, o·vip·a·rous·ness, nouno·vip·a·rous·ly, adverb

Words nearby oviparous

oviform, ovigenesis, Ovimbundu, ovine, ovipara, oviparous, oviposit, ovipositor, ovisac, OV language, ovo-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

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. Platts
The same kind of animal is then at one time of the year viviparous, and at another oviparous.
The Book of Curiosities|I. Platts
His purpose was the study of the wonderful Australian fauna, the oviparous mammals, marsupials, and ceratodus (lungfish).
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, July 1899|Various
Their nervous system also is not materially different, and they are both oviparous.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4)|William Kirby

By 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

oviparous

/ (əʊˈvɪpərəs) /

adjective

(of fishes, reptiles, birds, etc) producing eggs that hatch outside the body of the motherCompare ovoviviparous, viviparous (def. 1)

Derived forms of oviparous

oviparity (ˌəʊvɪˈpærɪtɪ), nounoviparously, 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

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.