oviposition

American  

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

noun

1. the act or process of depositing or laying eggs, especially by means of an ovipositor.

   At oviposition, the turtle's eggs pass between the bones of her pelvis into the sandy hole she has dug.

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Etymology

Origin of oviposition

First recorded in 1800–10; ovi- ( def. ) + position ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

oviposition

Egg-guide: Orthoptera; two small pointed prolongations of the ventral portion of the 8th abdominal segment, between upper and lower valves, used in oviposition.

From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by John. B. Smith

It is at the same time to be observed that there is, from the period of oviposition, a destined distinction between the sexes of the young bees. 

From Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation by Robert Chambers

In the act of oviposition, the butterfly keeps her wings spread out, moving the body and abdomen about as the placing of the eggs necessitates.

From Butterflies Worth Knowing by Clarence M. Weed

Corpora lutea undergo rapid involution following oviposition and, after two to three weeks, are little more than small puckerings on the ovarian epithelium.

From Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz by John M. Legler

There is continual oviposition, the queen laying over eighty thousand eggs in twenty-four hours, or one egg every second.

From The Dawn of Reason or, Mental Traits in the Lower Animals by James Weir

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