autogamy

[ aw-tog-uh-mee ]

noun

1. Botany. pollination of the ovules of a flower by its own pollen; self-fertilization ( allogamy ).
2. Biology. conjugation in an individual organism by division of its nucleus into two parts that in turn reunite to form a zygote.

autogamy

/ ˌɔːtəˈɡæmɪk; ɔːˈtɒɡəmɪ /

noun

1. self-fertilization in flowering plants
2. a type of sexual reproduction, occurring in some protozoans, in which the uniting gametes are derived from the same cell

autogamy

/ ô-tŏg′ə-mē /

1. See self-fertilization
2. The union of nuclei within and arising from a single cell, as in certain protozoans and fungi.

Derived Forms

• auˈtogamous, adjective

Other Words From

• au·toga·mous au·to·gam·ic [aw-toh-, gam, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of autogamy¹

First recorded in 1875–80; auto- ¹ + -gamy

Example Sentences

It appears that this plant has lost the capacity for autogamy; at any rate, if a stigma be pollinated with pollen from the same flower on plants in a garden, no result follows.

From Project Gutenberg

The opposite of allogamy is autogamy, or self-pollination.

From Project Gutenberg

Antonyms: self-indulgence, sensuality, voluptuousness. self-denying, a. self-sacrificing, unselfish, ascetic, abstemious. self-evident, a. axiomatic, obvious. self-examination, n. introspection; autoscopy. self-explanatory, a. obvious. self-fear, n. self-distrust, autophoby. self-fertilization, n. autogamy. self-government, n. self-control; democracy; autonomy.

From Project Gutenberg

I wish that I had used some such terms as autogamy, xenogamy, etc...I entirely agree with you on the a priori probability of geitonogamy being more advantageous than autogamy; and I cannot remember having ever expressed a belief that autogamy, as a general rule, was better than geitonogamy; but the cases recorded by me seem too strong not to make me suspect that there was some unknown advantage in autogamy.

From Project Gutenberg

The terms xenogamy, geitonogamy, and autogamy were first suggested by Kerner in 1876; their definition will be found at page 9 of Ogle's translation of Kerner's "Flowers and their Unbidden Guests," 1878.

From Project Gutenberg