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View synonyms for

fertilization

[fur-tl-uh-zey-shuhn]

noun

  1. an act, process, or instance of fertilizing.

  2. the state of being fertilized.

  3. Biology.

    1. the union of male and female gametic nuclei.

    2. fecundation or impregnation of animals or plants.

  4. the enrichment of soil, as for the production of crops.



fertilization

/ ˌɜːɪɪˈɪʃə /

noun

  1. the union of male and female gametes, during sexual reproduction, to form a zygote

  2. the act or process of fertilizing

  3. the state of being fertilized

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

fertilization

  1. The process by which two gametes (reproductive cells having a single, haploid set of chromosomes) fuse to become a zygote, which develops into a new organism. The resultant zygote is diploid (it has two sets of chromosomes). In cross-fertilization, the two gametes come from two different individual organisms. In self-fertilization, the gametes come from the same individual. Fertilization includes the union of the cytoplasm of the gametes (called plasmogamy) followed by the union of the nuclei of the two gametes (called karyogamy). Among many animals, such as mammals, fertilization occurs inside the body of the female. Among fish, eggs are fertilized in the water. Among plants, fertilization of eggs occurs within the reproductive structures of the parent plant, such as the ovules of gymnosperms and angiosperms.

  2. See Note at pollination

  3. The process of making soil more productive of plant growth, as by the addition of organic material or fertilizer.

fertilization

  1. The joining of sex cells to form a new living thing. In humans, a male sperm joins a female ovum, or egg; the resulting zygote divides into a multicelled structure that implants in the womb and grows into an embryo. In plants, pollen grains, containing the male sex cells, enter the female sex cells in the pistil; from this union, fruit eventually grows. When fertilization occurs within a single flower, we call it self-fertilization. (See cross-fertilization.)

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Other Word Forms

  • fertilizational adjective
  • overfertilization noun
  • prefertilization noun
  • refertilization noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of fertilization1

First recorded in 1855–60; fertilize + -ation
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But a website that contained no name but appeared connected to the bombing laid out the case for “a war against pro-lifers” and said a fertilization clinic would be targeted.

From

In what Abdallah described as a series of miracles, nobody was in the clinic last Saturday morning and its in vitro fertilization lab remained intact despite the mighty force of the explosion.

From

An online website that contained no name, but appeared connected to the bombing, laid out the case for “a war against pro-lifers” and said a fertilization clinic would be targeted.

From

There was extensive damage to American Reproductive Centers, a fertility clinic and in vitro fertilization lab across the street from Desert Regional Medical Center.

From

Photos from the scene showed extensive damage to American Reproductive Centers, a fertility clinic and in vitro fertilization lab across the street from Desert Regional Medical Center.

From

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fertility symbolfertilize