ovoviviparous

American  

[oh-voh-vahy-vip-er-uhs] / ˌoʊ voʊ vaɪˈvɪp ər əs /

adjective

Zoology.

1. producing eggs that are hatched within the body, so that the young are born alive but without placental attachment, as certain reptiles or fishes.

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ovoviviparous British  

/ ˌəʊvəʊvaɪˈvɪpərəs, ˌəʊvəʊˌvaɪvɪˈpærɪtɪ /

adjective

1. (of certain reptiles, fishes, etc) producing eggs that hatch within the body of the mother Compare oviparous viviparous

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ovoviviparous Scientific  

/ ō′vō-vī-vĭp′ər-əs /

1. Producing eggs that hatch within the female's body. Some fish and reptiles are ovoviviparous.

2. Compare oviparous viviparous

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Other Word Forms

• ovoviviparism noun
• ovoviviparity noun
• ovoviviparously adverb
• ovoviviparousness noun

Etymology

Origin of ovoviviparous

First recorded in 1795–1805; ov(i)- + -o- + viviparous

Explanation

Animals that are ovoviviparous reproduce by hatching eggs within their bodies. Some reptiles and fish are ovoviviparous. Animals reproduce in many different ways, from giving birth to live babies to laying eggs. When an animal is ovoviviparous, its young develop in eggs too, but the eggs stay inside the mother until they hatch: only then do the young emerge. Rattlesnakes are one animal that is ovoviviparous, and so are some kinds of sharks and rays. The adjective ovoviviparous combines the Greek ovum, "egg," with the Latin vivus, "alive," and parere, "bring forth or bear."

Example Sentences

Most species are ovoviviparous: The fertilized egg is retained in the oviduct of the mother’s body and the embryo is nourished by the egg yolk.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Most species are ovoviviparous, that is, the fertilized egg is retained in the oviduct of the mother’s body, and the embryo is nourished by the egg yolk.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

Mary Gilliland of Fort Worth hesitated on butyraceous but managed to get by, and redheaded Dana Bennett, 13, of Denver, tossed off ovoviviparous as if it were cat.

From Time Magazine Archive

Descending a little lower, we come to the oviparous and ovoviviparous tribes.

From The Religion of Geology and Its Connected Sciences by Hitchcock, Edward

Coenogonous: oviparous at one season of the year, ovoviviparous at another, as in Aphididae.

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