oviposition

[ oh-vuh-puh-zish-uhn ]

noun

1. the act or process of depositing or laying eggs, especially by means of an ovipositor:

   At oviposition, the turtle's eggs pass between the bones of her pelvis into the sandy hole she has dug.

Word History and Origins

Origin of oviposition¹

First recorded in 1800–10; ovi- ( def ) + position ( def )

Example Sentences

In the oviposition room, males and females are left undisturbed to mate on bushy mile-a-minute plants grown on site in a greenhouse.

From New York Times

Commonly, however, when the cocoons are later in the making, or the cold weather sets in early, the eggs of this and of allied species do not hatch until the spring; but in either case the young emerge in the warm weather, become adult during the summer and die in the autumn after pairing and oviposition.

From Project Gutenberg

When oviposition is about to take place, the male may be seen to suddenly attach himself to the dorsal surface of the head of the female which holds on to one of the stones at the upper margin of the nest.

From Project Gutenberg

Egg deposition.—Oviposition has been observed only in Smilisca baudini.

From Project Gutenberg

Corpora lutea undergo rapid involution following oviposition and, after two to three weeks, are little more than small puckerings on the ovarian epithelium.

From Project Gutenberg