Meanings
plural self-fertilizations · alternative self-fertilisation
- countableuncountableThe fertilization of a plant by itself; self-pollination, autogamy.
In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual.
2013 May-June, Katrina G. Claw, “Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3
Synonyms & antonyms
nounfertilization by the union of male and female gametes from the same individual
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*swé?
- Proto-Indo-European*selbʰ-
- Proto-Germanic*selbaz
- Old Englishself
- Old Englishself-
- Middle Englishself-
- Englishself-
- Englishfertilization
- Englishself-fertilization
From self- + fertilization.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
self-fertilization. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-fertilization
“self-fertilization.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-fertilization. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “self-fertilization,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-fertilization.
Source: self-fertilization on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.