fertilization

noun

fer·til·i·za·tion | \ ˌfər-tə-lə-ˈzā-shən

Definition of fertilization

: an act or process of making fertile: such as

a : the application of fertilizer

b(1) : an act or process of fecundation, insemination, or pollination —not used technically

(2) : the process of union of two gametes whereby the somatic chromosome number is restored and the development of a new individual is initiated

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The inflammation that results from this disease may make the lining of the uterus less receptive to an embryo or cause scarring and blockage of the fallopian tubes, thus preventing fertilization from taking place. — Jennifer Gerson, Marie Claire, "Why Can't I Get Pregnant?," 1 Oct. 2018 The science behind this is sketchy at best — daily birth control pills, hormonal IUDs, and emergency contraception all work primarily by inhibiting fertilization of an egg, not by preventing implantation of a fertilized embryo. — Anna North, Vox, "Kavanaugh’s description of birth control as “abortion-inducing drugs,” explained," 7 Sep. 2018 Over-fertilization can cause plants to grow leggy and can even kill them. — Molly Marquand, Good Housekeeping, "5 Mistakes You’re Making With Your Fiddle-Leaf Fig," 15 Aug. 2016 There's tremendous potential for efficiencies in the large-scale application of mechanization, fertilization, and pesticide use. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Urban farms could be incredibly efficient—but aren’t yet," 27 Dec. 2018 Step 4 In a process called insemination, the sperm and eggs are placed together in a petri dish and stored that way to facilitate fertilization. — Jennifer Gerson, Marie Claire, "Health & Fitness," 1 Oct. 2018 They were used in research for the polio vaccine, cloning and in-vitro fertilization techniques, Smithsonian Magazine reported. — Natalie Dreier, ajc, "Henrietta Lacks portrait to be installed at National Portrait Gallery," 12 May 2018 After the transplant, doctors used in-vitro fertilization — with the recipient’s eggs and her husband’s sperm — to start a pregnancy, which was successful. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "10 science stories in 2018 that made us go, “Whoa, that’s awesome”," 18 Dec. 2018 To begin with, offspring of HIV-positive male parents are not considered to be at risk of picking up the infection during fertilization. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Reports out of China suggest first human gene-edited babies have been born," 26 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fertilization.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.