(of fishes, reptiles, birds, etc) producing eggs that hatch outside the body of the mother
Compare ovoviviparous,viviparous 1
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
o•vip•a•rous
(ō vip′ər əs),USA pronunciation adj. [Zool.]
o•vi•par•i•ty
(ō′və par′i tē),USA pronunciation o•vip′a•rous•ness, n.
o•vip′a•rous•ly, adv.
- Zoologyproducing eggs that mature and hatch after being expelled from the body, as birds, most reptiles and fishes, and the monotremes.
- Latin ōviparus. See ovi-, -parous
- 1640–50;
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'oviparous' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):