superfetation

[ soo-per-fee-tey-shuhn ]

/ ˌsu pər fiˈteɪ ʃən /

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noun

the fertilization of an ovum in a female mammal already pregnant.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM superfetation

su·per·fe·tate, adjective

Words nearby superfetation

superette, superfamily, superfecta, superfecundation, superfemale, superfetation, superficial, superficiality, superficies, superfine, superfix

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

How to use superfetation in a sentence

He became the victim of a sort of intellectual superfetation.
Art in England|Dutton Cook
Superfetation has occurred by coition during pregnancy, and this results commonly in abortion and the death of both fetuses.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation|Austin O'Malley

British Dictionary definitions for superfetation

superfetation

/ (ˌsuːpəfiːˈteɪʃən) /

noun

physiol the presence in the uterus of two fetuses developing from ova fertilized at different times

Derived forms of superfetation

superfetate (ˌsuːpəˈfiːteɪt), adjective

Word Origin for superfetation

C17 superfetate, from Latin superfētāre to fertilize when already pregnant, from super- + fētāre to impregnate, from fētus offspring

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