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premating

premating

7.5
The time when animals or plants behave to prepare for mating
  • noun
  • /priˈmeɪtɪŋ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : periodo prematante
  • During the premating phase, many species engage in elaborate courtship rituals.

Examples

  • Researchers studied the premating behaviors of several bird species to understand their mating success.

  • The premating stage is crucial for ensuring that both partners are suitable for reproduction.

  • However, the transfer of CHCs between the different races does not appear to affect premating isolation (Coyne et al. 1999).

    Academic text (2017)

Synonyms

courtship
vspremating
9 3.9

Actions animals and people use to attract a mate

occurs immediately before partnering as short preparatory behaviors
courtship ritual
vspremating
1 5.6

Actions people or animals do to attract a partner before starting a relationship

focuses on immediate biological preparation rather than cultural acts

Surface Forms

premating singular
prematings plural

Morphology

premating = mating (semi-transparent) = pre + mate + ing

Adding 'pre-' to 'mating' straightforwardly yields the sense 'before mating'.

Etymology

Premating is made of pre- 'before' and mate 'pair', so as a noun it names the time or the behaviors just before mating, for example the actions animals use to find a partner.