Standard Lemma guide

viviparous

adj · 3 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /vɪˈvɪpəɹəs/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: V AY0 V IH1 P ER0 AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Being born alive, as are most mammals, some reptiles, and a few fish (as opposed to being laid as an egg and subsequently hatching, as do most birds and many other species).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Arising from an embryo that develops from the outset (rather than from a true seed that then germinates).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective

Meaning 3

producing living young (not eggs)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: live-bearing

Antonyms: oviparous, ovoviviparous

History

Etymology

From Latin vīviparus, from vīvus (“alive, life, living”) + pariō (“give birth, produce, bring forth”).

Across languages

Translations

38 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: diridoğan — of an animal
  • Breton: bevc'haner — of an animal
  • Bulgarian: живоро́ден (živoróden) — of an animal
  • Catalan: vivípar — of an animal
  • Chinese Cantonese: 胎生 — of an animal
  • Chinese Mandarin: 胎生 (tāishēng) — of an animal
  • Czech: živorodý — of an animal
  • Dutch: levendbarend — of an animal
  • Dutch: vivipaar — of an animal
  • Finnish: vivipaarinen — of an animal
  • French: vivipare — of an animal
  • Galician: vivíparo — of an animal
  • Georgian: ცოცხლადმშობი (cocxladmšobi) — of an animal
  • German: lebendgebärend — of an animal
  • German: lebend gebärend — of an animal
  • German: vivipar — of an animal
  • Greek: ζωοτόκος (zootókos) — of an animal
  • Ancient Greek: ζωότοκος (zōótokos) — of an animal
  • Hungarian: elevenszülő — of an animal
  • Italian: viviparo — of an animal
  • Japanese: 胎生の (taisei no) — of an animal
  • Latin: viviparus — of an animal
  • Malay: viviparus — of an animal
  • Polish: żyworodny — of an animal
  • Portuguese: vivíparo — of an animal
  • Russian: живородя́щий (živorodjáščij) — of an animal
  • Spanish: vivíparo — of an animal
  • Volapük: lifamotamik — of an animal
  • Welsh: bywesgorol — of an animal
  • Catalan: vivípar — of a plant
  • Chinese Mandarin: 母体发芽 — of a plant
  • Finnish: vivipaarinen — of a plant
  • French: vivipare — of a plant
  • Japanese: 胎生の (taisei no) — of a plant
  • Malay: viviparus — of a plant
  • Portuguese: vivíparo — of a plant
  • Russian: живородя́щий (živorodjáščij) — of a plant
  • Welsh: bywhiliog — of a plant
Real reading context

viviparous in complete knowledge articles