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oviparous

[oh-vip-er-uhs]

adjective

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



oviparous

/ ˌəʊvɪˈpærɪtɪ, əʊˈvɪpərəs /

adjective

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

“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

oviparous

  1. Producing eggs that hatch outside the body. Amphibians, birds, and most insects, fish, and reptiles are oviparous.

  2. Compare ovoviviparous viviparous

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Other Word Forms

  • oviparously adverb
  • oviparity noun
  • oviparousness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of oviparous1

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

How does oviparous compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They are one of the larger land-animals of Winter, about the size of a fox, oviparous vegetarians with a splendid coat of gray or white fur.

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Humans, after all, are not oviparous — we do not lay eggs.

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Gmelin remarks that the animal emits a phosphoric light; and Captain Cook observed that it is oviparous, and discharged, on being touched, a liquor of the most beautiful purple.

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The class of Vertebrata that includes the birds. µ Aves, or birds, have a complete double circulation, oviparous, reproduction, front limbs peculiarly modified as wings; and they bear feathers.

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Leeches are oviparous, and their ova are discharged in one involucre near the surface and margin of pools, and are hatched by the heat of the sun.

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