oviposit

[ oh-vuh-poz-it, oh-vuh-poz- ]

/ ˌoʊ vəˈpɒz ɪt, ˈoʊ vəˌpɒz- /

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verb (used without object)

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

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Origin of oviposit

1810–20; ovi- + -posit<Latin positus (see posit)

OTHER WORDS FROM oviposit

o·vi·po·si·tion

[oh-vuh-puh-zish-uhn], /ˌoʊ və pəˈzɪʃ ən/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use oviposit in a sentence

When the business of oviposition commences, they take the eggs from her, and deposit them in their nurseries.
The Book of Curiosities|I. Platts
The peristaltic motion observed in the females of some insects during oviposition has been before described.
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4)|William Kirby
There is continual oviposition, the queen laying over eighty thousand eggs in twenty-four hours, or one egg every second.
The Dawn of Reason|James Weir
There are thus two female openings, one for copulation, the other for oviposition, as well as a male opening.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5|Various

Having finished their home, only a day or so intervenes when oviposition becomes the controlling instinct.
Nests and Eggs of Birds of The United States|Thomas G. Gentry

British Dictionary definitions for oviposit

oviposit

/ (ˌəʊvɪˈpɒzɪt) /

verb

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

Derived forms of oviposit

oviposition (ˌəʊvɪpəˈzɪʃən), noun

Word Origin for oviposit

C19: ovi- + positus, past participle of Latin pōnere to place

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