CROSS-FERTILIZATION

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does cross-fertilization mean? 

• CROSS-FERTILIZATION (noun)
  The noun CROSS-FERTILIZATION has 2 senses:

1. fertilization by the union of male and female gametes from different individual of the same species

2. interchange between different cultures or different ways of thinking that is mutually productive and beneficial

  Familiarity information: CROSS-FERTILIZATION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CROSS-FERTILIZATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Fertilization by the union of male and female gametes from different individual of the same species

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

cross-fertilisation; cross-fertilization

Hypernyms ("cross-fertilization" is a kind of...):

fecundation; fertilisation; fertilization; impregnation (creation by the physical union of male and female gametes; of sperm and ova in an animal or pollen and ovule in a plant)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cross-fertilization"):

allogamy (cross-fertilization in plants)

Antonym:

self-fertilization (fertilization by the union of male and female gametes from the same individual)

Derivation:

cross-fertilize (cause to undergo cross-fertilization)

cross-fertilize (undergo cross-fertilization; become fertile)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Interchange between different cultures or different ways of thinking that is mutually productive and beneficial

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

cross-fertilisation; cross-fertilization

Context example:

the cross-fertilization of science and the creative arts

Hypernyms ("cross-fertilization" is a kind of...):

give-and-take; interchange; reciprocation (mutual interaction; the activity of reciprocating or exchanging (especially information))