adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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UK:/əʊˈvɪpəɹəs/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/oʊˈvɪpəɹəs/
CMU ARPABET:OW0 V IH1 P ER0 AH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Depositing eggs that develop and hatch outside the body as a reproductive strategy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Examples
The echidna is a monotreme, which is the extremely small subset of oviparous mammals.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: egglaying
Antonyms: none provided
2
adjective
Meaning 2
egg-laying
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: viviparous, ovoviviparous
History
Etymology
Adapted borrowing of Late Latin ōviparus + -ous. By surface analysis, ovi- + -parous.
Across languages
Translations
29 source translations are retained for this English entry.
