arrhenotokous
|ar-re-no-to-kous|
🇺🇸
/ˌærəˈnoʊtəkəs/
🇬🇧
/ˌærəˈnɒtəkəs/
producing males from unfertilized eggs
Etymology
'arrhenotokous' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'arrhenotokos', where 'arrhen-' meant 'male' and '-tokos' meant 'begetting'.
'arrhenotokous' comes from Greek 'arrhenotokos', passed into New Latin/scientific usage as 'arrhenotokus/arrhenotokous' and then into modern English scientific terminology as 'arrhenotokous'.
Initially, it meant 'begetting males' in Greek, and over time it has retained that specialized biological meaning of 'producing males (from unfertilized eggs)'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
producing or giving rise to male offspring from unfertilized eggs; relating to arrhenotoky (a form of parthenogenesis where males are produced from unfertilized eggs).
Many parasitic wasps are arrhenotokous, producing males from unfertilized eggs.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/19 08:52