parthenogenesis Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun human conception without fertilization by a man
parthenogeny; virgin birth.
noun process in which an unfertilized egg develops into a new individual; common among insects and some other arthropods
parthenogeny.

Gr. parqe`nos a virgin + E. genesis.

(Biol.) The production of new individuals from virgin females by means of ova which have the power of developing without the intervention of the male element; the production, without fertilization, of cells capable of germination. It is one of the phenomena of alternate generation. Cf. Heterogamy, and Metagenesis.
(Bot.) The production of seed without fertilization, believed to occur through the nonsexual formation of an embryo extraneous to the embrionic vesicle.