superfetation
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of superfetation
1595–1605; < Latin superfētāt ( us ) (past participle of superfētāre to conceive again while still pregnant, equivalent to super- super- + fētā ( re ) to breed ( see fetus) + -tus past participle suffix) + -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A rare condition known as superfetation makes it possible to conceive for a second time when pregnant.
From BBC • Nov. 15, 2016
Pregnancy normally stops the monthly cycle of ovulation but superfetation allows it to continue.
From BBC • Nov. 15, 2016
Because for superfetation to occur, a number of things must happen—things that a woman’s reproductive cycle is intrinsically programmed to prevent.
From Scientific American • Apr. 27, 2011
He deduced that the imperfect offsprings were younger ones who had spent less time in their mother’s womb—a direct consequence of superfetation.
From Scientific American • Apr. 27, 2011
Even Malone has been thoughtless enough to accredit this closing chapter, which contains, in fact, such a superfetation of folly as the annals of human dullness do not exceed.
From Biographical Essays by De Quincey, Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
