Viviparous
/ˌvɪvɪˈpærəs/noun
Producing live young rather than laying eggs.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin biological vocabulary, where it described animals that give birth to living young, not from anything mystical—though its roots are the same life-root behind several powerful Latin words.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʷih₃wos
“alive, living”
Latin
Latin
vīvus
“alive, living”
Latin
Latin
vīviparus
“bringing forth living young”
Late Latin
Latin
viviparus
“bearing live offspring; used in natural history”
Modern English
English
viviparous
“bearing live young rather than eggs”