fertilization

C2 Topic:Biology & Genetics

Also spelled fertilisation

US /ˌfɝːtəlɪˈzeɪʃən/ UK /ˌfɜːtɪlaɪˈzeɪʃən/ See IPA manual

Freq #41312

Meanings

1

noun
the union of male and female gametes to begin the development of a new organism

Fertilization occurs when pollen reaches the ovule.
2

noun
the process of making soil or plants fertile by adding fertilizer

The field needed fertilization before the next crop was planted.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the union of male and... fecundation impregnationsyngamy

2 noun · the process of making soil... dressingmanuring

More conception

Opposites

sterilization

Word family

Derived forms cross-fertilizationself-fertilizationoverfertilization

Related forms fertilize fertile pollen

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

fertilization membrane
a protective layer that forms around an egg after fertilization and blocks further sperm entry

Noun + noun

Etymology

From French fertilisation; in English, fertilize plus -ation. The biological sense names the process that makes development possible, while the agricultural sense keeps the older idea of making soil fertile.

Topics

Biology & Genetics Science & Research Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# fertilization

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌfɝːtəlɪˈzeɪʃən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌfɜːtɪlaɪˈzeɪʃən/
**Frequency rank:** 41312

## Meanings
1. the union of male and female gametes to begin the development of a new organism
2. the process of making soil or plants fertile by adding fertilizer

## Examples
- Fertilization occurs when pollen reaches the ovule.
- The field needed fertilization before the next crop was planted.

## Synonyms
- fecundation
- impregnation
- syngamy
- conception
- dressing

## Antonyms
- sterilization

## Derived Forms
- cross-fertilization
- self-fertilization
- overfertilization

## Related Forms
- fertilize
- fertile
- pollen

## Etymology
From French fertilisation; in English, fertilize plus -ation. The biological sense names the process that makes development possible, while the agricultural sense keeps the older idea of making soil fertile.

## Topics
- Biology & Genetics
- Science & Research
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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