Semelparous describes an organism that reproduces only a single time in its life. The term is derived from the Latin words 'semel' (once) and 'parere' (to give birth).
Semelparous describes organisms that reproduce only once in their lifetime, from the Latin 'semel' (once) and 'parere' (to give birth).
| Word | semelparous |
|---|---|
| Date | April 16, 2008 |
| Type | adjective |
| Syllables | seh-MEL-puh-rus |
| Etymology | The combining form "-parous" was first used in English by the 17th-century physician and writer Sir Thomas Browne, who wrote about organisms that were "multiparous" ("producing more than one at a birth"), "oviparous" ("producing eggs that develop outside the maternal body"), and "viviparous" ("producing living young instead of eggs from within the body"). The suffix is based on the Latin verb "parere," meaning "to give birth to," which is also a relative of the word that gave us "parent." "Semelparous," the youngest offspring of "-parous," was born in 1954. Its other parent is "semel," the Latin word for "once." |
| Examples | Each year the semelparous salmon return to the stream where they hatched to spawn, and they die soon thereafter. |
| Definition | : reproducing or breeding only once in a lifetime |
Tags: wordoftheday::adjective
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