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Glite Dictionary
to superfetate

to superfetate

9.9
A female animal like a dog or horse that becomes pregnant again while already pregnant
  • verb
  • /ˌsuːpərˈfiːteɪt/
  • Specialized
: superfetar
  • The mare was found to superfetate, carrying embryos at different stages of development.

Examples

  • Scientists documented a rabbit that appeared to superfetate while already pregnant.

  • In rare cases, mammals may superfetate due to hormonal irregularities.

  • Some species can superfetate under specific conditions.

  • The ability to superfetate is rare among mammals.

  • In rare instances, a female mammal can superfetate when hormonal levels are disrupted.

  • Researchers observed that certain species of rabbits can superfetate even while pregnant.

  • The female horse was confirmed to superfetate, having multiple embryos developing at once.

Surface Forms

superfetate infinitive
superfetated past
superfetated past participle
superfetating present participle
superfetates third person singular

Morphology

superfetate = fetus (opaque) = super + fetate

The prefix 'super-' suggests 'above' or 'beyond', but the specific biological process of conceiving during an ongoing pregnancy is not directly inferable.

Etymology

Superfetate comes from Latin parts super- meaning 'above' and fetus meaning 'offspring'. A helpful image is adding another baby 'on top' of the first one, so to superfetate is to conceive again while already pregnant.