Viviparous

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Viviparous \Vi*vip"a*rous\, a. [L. viviparus; vivus alive +
     parere to bear, bring forth. Cf. {Viper}.] (Biol.)
     Producing young in a living state, as most mammals, or as
     those plants the offspring of which are produced alive,
     either by bulbs instead of seeds, or by the seeds themselves
     germinating on the plant, instead of falling, as they usually


     do; -- opposed to {oviparous}.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {Viviparous fish}. (Zool.) See {Embiotocoid}.
  
     {Viviparous shell} (Zool.), any one of numerous species of
        operculated fresh-water gastropods belonging to
        {Viviparus}, {Melantho}, and allied genera. Their young,
        when born, have a well-developed spiral shell.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  viviparous
       adj : producing living young (not eggs) [ant: {oviparous}, {ovoviviparous}]