parthenogenesis

[ par-thuh-noh-jen-uh-sis ]

/ ˌpær θə noʊˈdʒɛn ə sɪs /

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See synonyms for: parthenogenetic on Thesaurus.com

noun Biology.

development of an egg without fertilization.

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Origin of parthenogenesis

First recorded in 1840–50; partheno- + genesis

OTHER WORDS FROM parthenogenesis

par·the·no·ge·net·ic

[pahr-thuh-noh-juh-net-ik], /ˌpɑr θə noʊ dʒəˈnɛt ɪk/, adjectivepar·the·no·ge·net·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby parthenogenesis

parterre, part exchange, Parthenia, partheno-, parthenocarpy, parthenogenesis, Parthenon, Parthenopaeus, Parthenope, Parthenos, parthenospore

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use parthenogenesis in a sentence

Normal parthenogenesis belong equally to summary and to complicated animals, to wheel-animals and to bees.
The Natural Philosophy of Love|Remy de Gourmont
This provoked parthenogenesis is neither more nor less interesting than the normal.
The Natural Philosophy of Love|Remy de Gourmont
Human parthenogenesis is less absurd: it offers an order, and promiscuity is a disorder.
The Natural Philosophy of Love|Remy de Gourmont
The same tendency reaches its logical conclusion in the parthenogenesis of insects.
The New Stone Age in Northern Europe|John M. Tyler

In 1849 Professor Owen, in his treatise on "Parthenogenesis," put forward another conception.
On the Genesis of Species|St. George Mivart

British Dictionary definitions for parthenogenesis

parthenogenesis

/ (ˌpɑːθɪnəʊˈdʒɛnɪsɪs) /

noun

a type of reproduction, occurring in some insects and flowers, in which the unfertilized ovum develops directly into a new individual

human conception without fertilization by a male; virgin birth

Derived forms of parthenogenesis

parthenogenetic (ˌpɑːθɪˌnəʊdʒɪˈnɛtɪk), adjectiveparthenogenetically, adverb

Word Origin for parthenogenesis

C19: from Greek parthenos virgin + genesis birth

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 parthenogenesis

parthenogenesis

[ pär′thə-nō-jĕn′ĭ-sĭs ]

Reproduction in which an egg develops into a new individual without being fertilized. Aphids and certain other insects can reproduce by parthenogenesis. Parthenogenesis does not necessarily produce clones of the parent. Among hymenopterans such as honeybees and ants, the haploid males develop from unfertilized eggs laid by the queen, who is diploid. Parthenogenesis is a form of apomixis.

Other words from parthenogenesis

parthenogenetic adjective (pär′thə-nō-jə-nĕt′ĭk)