Copulation Meaning
/kɒp.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe act of coupling or joining; union; conjunction.
nounSexual procreation between a man and a woman or transfer of the sperm from male to female; usually applied to the mating process in nonhuman animals; coitus; coition.
Sentence Examples
After realizing copulation, the female praying mantis usually devours the male.
The female mantis devours the male after copulation.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The biologist observed the ____ of the two beetles under a microscope.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
After realizing ____, the female praying mantis usually devours the male.
Word Origin & History
From Middle French copulation, from Latin copulo (“to join, unite, connect”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I quite correctly defined logical copulation by means [of] the copula of inclusion."
— 2019, Ahti-Veikko Pietarinen, History and Applications, page 401:
"Solomon, who was one of the Deity's favorities, had a copulation cabinet composed of seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines."
— c. 1909, Mark Twain, Letters from the Earth, Letter VIII:
"In the dusky streets around me ruled an innocent and open copulation. The entire town mated together, in the leafy bowers that had sprung up among the washing-machines and television sets in the shopping mall, on the settees and divans by the furniture store, in the tropical paradises of the suburban gardens."
— 1979, J.G. Ballard, The Unlimited Dream Company, chapter 30:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The biologist observed the ____ of the two beetles under a microscope.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
After realizing ____, the female praying mantis usually devours the male.