virgin birth

American  

noun

1. Theology. the doctrine or dogma that, by the miraculous agency of God, the birth of Christ did not impair or prejudice the virginity of Mary.

2. Zoology. parthenogenesis; parturition by a female who has not copulated.

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Virgin Birth ¹ British  

noun

1. the doctrine that Jesus Christ had no human father but was conceived solely by the direct intervention of the Holy Spirit so that Mary remained miraculously a virgin during and after his birth

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virgin birth ² British  

noun

1. another name for parthenogenesis

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Etymology

Origin of virgin birth

First recorded in 1645–55

Example Sentences

But those offspring were made by tinkering with egg cells in laboratory dishes rather than by giving female animals the capacity for virgin birth, also known as parthenogenesis.

From Scientific American • Aug. 1, 2023

Particularly, she's curious to see how it influences work on crop pests, as it seems virgin birth is becoming more common in pest species.

From Salon • Jul. 28, 2023

The discovery of virgin birth in plants is widely credited to John Smith, a 19th century botanist who served as the inaugural curator at London’s Royal Botanic Gardens.

From Science Magazine • May 17, 2023

What makes the case even more rare is that it is the first time that any bird species has had a virgin birth when males were present for breeding.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2021

Of course it is quite possible that the story of the virgin birth arose during those fifty years, for we can imagine how the life of Jesus was then discussed!

From Carmen Ariza by Stocking, Charles Francis