iteroparous
|it-er-o-par-ous|
/ˌɪtərəˈpærəs/
reproducing repeatedly
Etymology
'iteroparous' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'iteroparus', where 'itero-' meant 'again' (from Latin 'iterare', to repeat) and '-parous' meant 'bearing' (from Latin 'parere', to give birth).
'iteroparous' was formed in scientific New Latin by combining elements from Latin ('iterare' + 'parere') and entered English usage in biology and ecology in the late 19th to early 20th century as a technical term distinguishing life-history strategies.
Initially it referred specifically to 'bearing offspring repeatedly', and over time it has retained this technical biological meaning of 'reproducing more than once during life.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
of organisms: reproducing (producing offspring) more than once during the lifetime; repeatedly breeding (opposite of semelparous).
Many perennial plants and most vertebrates are iteroparous, reproducing several times over their lives.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/05 02:25