Definition of "viviparous" []

• Zoology Giving birth to living offspring that develop within the mother's body. Most mammals and some other animals are viviparous. (adjective)
• Botany Germinating or producing seeds that germinate before becoming detached from the parent plant, as in the mangrove. (adjective)
• Botany Producing bulbils or new plants rather than seed, as in the tiger lily. (adjective)

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.

• "All animals whatsoever, whether they fly or swim or walk upon dry land, whether they bring forth their young alive or in the egg, develop in the same way: save only that some have the navel attached to the womb, namely the viviparous animals, and some have it attached to the egg, and some to both parts alike, as in a certain sort of fishes."
• "Many of the instances of so-called viviparous plants, _e. g."
• "= -- The formation of little bulbs upon the surfaces or edges of leaves, forming what are called viviparous leaves, has long been familiar to botanists amongst Alliums."