parthenogenesis
Meaningvirgin birth
Common meaning: reproduction without fertilization
- parthena maidenLiddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), p. 609 · scan
- genesisbirth, descent, race; a typeLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 810 · scan
‘a maiden’ + ‘birth, descent, race’ → parthenogenesis
Journey through time
Hybrid: Greek + Latin Its parts come from different languages; our sources do not record where they were first put together.
Neither part’s path through time is traced in our sources yet; each root is shown from its dictionary entry.
- parthen — Greek παρθένος “a maiden” (dictionary form; path not traced)
- genesis — Latin genus, generis “birth, descent, race; a type” (dictionary form; path not traced)
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: not available. Respelling: generated.
- US IPA: not available. Respelling: generated.
Origin: Built on Greek παρθένος ‘a maiden’ + Latin genus ‘birth, descent, race; a type’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry genus, p. 810 · dictionary scan
Roots
- genus, generis Latin “birth, descent, race; a type”
- παρθένος Greek “a maiden”
Related words
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