virgin birth

English

noun
Definitions
  • (biology) A birth (or vegetal reproduction) after spontaneous, unfertilized gamete-development in a virginal mother, parthenogenesis
  • A form of childbirth in which the mother conceived the child through artificial insemination
  • (often capitalized and used absolutely: the Virgin Birth) In Christian theology, the miraculous birth of Christ from the Virgin Mary

Etymology

Compound from English virgin + English birth.

Origin

English

birth

Gloss

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

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Cognates and derived terms