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viviparous

 
Dictionary: vi·vip·a·rous   (vī-vĭp'ər-əs, vĭ-) pronunciation
adj.
  1. Zoology. Giving birth to living offspring that develop within the mother's body. Most mammals and some other animals are viviparous.
  2. Botany.
    1. Germinating or producing seeds that germinate before becoming detached from the parent plant, as in the mangrove.
    2. Producing bulbils or new plants rather than seed, as in the tiger lily.

[From Latin vīviparus : vīvus, alive + -parus, -parous.]

viviparity vi'vi·par'i·ty ('və-păr'ĭ-tē, vĭv'ə-) n.
viviparously vi·vip'a·rous·ly adv.

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Veterinary Dictionary: viviparous
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Giving birth to living young which develop within the maternal body.

Gardener's Dictionary: viviparous
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Bearing plantlets on the leaves, stems, or flowers.

Word Tutor: viviparous
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Having live young as opposed to laying eggs.

pronunciation Most snakes lay eggs but several species are viviparous.

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
Gardener's Dictionary. Taylor's Dictionary for Gardeners, by Frances Tenenbaum. Copyright © 1997 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.
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