amplexus
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am·plex·us
(ăm-plĕk′səs)n. pl. amplexus or am·plex·us·es
The copulatory embrace of frogs and toads, during which the male fertilizes the eggs that are released by the female.
[Latin amplexus, an embracing, from past participle of amplectī, to embrace : am-, ambi-, around; see ambi- + plectere, to twine; see plek- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
amplexus
(æmˈplɛksəs)n
the mating embrace of amphibians, particularly frogs and toads
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
am•plex•us
(æmˈplɛk səs)n., pl. -us•es, -us.
the copulatory clasping posture of frogs and toads.
[1925–30; < New Latin, Latin: embrace amplect(ī) to embrace (am-, variant of ambi- ambi- + plectere to plait, twine)]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.