fertilization

[fur-tl-uh-zey-shuh n] /ˌfɜr tl əˈzeɪ ʃən/
noun
1.
an act, process, or instance of fertilizing.
2.
the state of being fertilized.
3.
Biology.
  1. the union of male and female gametic nuclei.
  2. fecundation or impregnation of animals or plants.
4.
the enrichment of soil, as for the production of crops.
Origin
1855-60; fertilize + -ation
Related forms
fertilizational, adjective
overfertilization, noun
prefertilization, noun
refertilization, noun
Examples from the web for fertilization
  • The eggs of other fish are abandoned immediately after fertilization.
  • Once implemented on an industrial scale, ammonia synthesis enabled the widespread fertilization of croplands for decades hence.
  • Integrated organic and inorganic fertilization is needed to increase the yield of crops.
  • There are weather factors, fertilization factors, etc to take into account.
  • However, the seedlings require careful watering, fertilization and weed-insect control.
  • Doctors do not know exactly why it works, but believe the hormones either delay ovulation or block the fertilization of an egg.
  • As pollen arrives at another flower, the shell relaxes and unfolds, allowing fertilization to take place.
  • These newsgroups tend to be self-contained worlds, with little cross-fertilization.
  • The results are similar to the special cells that appear in embryos a few days after fertilization.
  • Shortly after fertilization the cells of the future fly grub begin making their fateful choices.
British Dictionary definitions for fertilization

fertilization

/ˌfɜːtɪlaɪˈzeɪʃən/
noun
1.
the union of male and female gametes, during sexual reproduction, to form a zygote
2.
the act or process of fertilizing
3.
the state of being fertilized
Word Origin and History for fertilization
n.

1857, noun of action from fertilize.

fertilization in Medicine

fertilization fer·til·i·za·tion (fûr'tl-ĭ-zā'shən)
n.
The union of male and female gametes to form a zygote, a process that begins with the penetration of the secondary oocyte by the spermatozoon and is completed with the fusion of the male and female pronuclei.

fertilization in Science
fertilization
  (fûr'tl-ĭ-zā'shən)   

  1. The process by which two gametes (reproductive cells having a single, haploid set of chromosomes) fuse to become a zygote, which develops into a new organism. The resultant zygote is diploid (it has two sets of chromosomes). In cross-fertilization, the two gametes come from two different individual organisms. In self-fertilization, the gametes come from the same individual. Fertilization includes the union of the cytoplasm of the gametes (called plasmogamy) followed by the union of the nuclei of the two gametes (called karyogamy). Among many animals, such as mammals, fertilization occurs inside the body of the female. Among fish, eggs are fertilized in the water. Among plants, fertilization of eggs occurs within the reproductive structures of the parent plant, such as the ovules of gymnosperms and angiosperms. See Note at pollination.

  2. The process of making soil more productive of plant growth, as by the addition of organic material or fertilizer.


fertilize verb
fertilization in Culture

fertilization definition


The joining of sex cells to form a new living thing. In humans, a male sperm joins a female ovum, or egg; the resulting zygote divides into a multicelled structure that implants in the womb and grows into an embryo. In plants, pollen grains, containing the male sex cells, enter the female sex cells in the pistil; from this union, fruit eventually grows. When fertilization occurs within a single flower, we call it self-fertilization. (See cross-fertilization.)