Definition of "self-fertilization" [self•-fer•ti•li•za•tion]

• Fertilization by sperm from the same animal, as in some hermaphrodites, or by pollen from the same flower. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The desire to duplicate was not motivated by “Pop,” but was rather a secret of self-fertilization, as a continuation of her blurring of male-female distinctions and of her form-rhyming."
• "Careful with your glee over the self-fertilization ideal."
• ""The tests on the embryos and on Flora, her sister and other dragons confirmed that Komodo dragons can reproduce through self-fertilization." ..."