oviparous

[ oh-vip-er-uhs ]

/ oʊˈvɪp ər əs /

Save This Word!

adjective Zoology.

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.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

oviferous, oviform, Ovimbundu, ovine, ovipara, oviparous, oviposit, oviposition, ovipositor, ovisac, OV language

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. 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.