fertilization

noun

1. an act, process, or instance of fertilizing.
2. the state of being fertilized.
3. Biology.
   1. the union of male and female gametic nuclei.
   2. fecundation or impregnation of animals or plants.
4. the enrichment of soil, as for the production of crops.

noun

1. the union of male and female gametes, during sexual reproduction, to form a zygote
2. the act or process of fertilizing
3. the state of being fertilized

n.

1. The union of male and female gametes to form a zygote, a process that begins with the penetration of the secondary oocyte by the spermatozoon and is completed with the fusion of the male and female pronuclei.

1. The process by which two gametes (reproductive cells having a single, haploid set of chromosomes) fuse to become a zygote, which develops into a new organism. The resultant zygote is diploid (it has two sets of chromosomes). In cross-fertilization, the two gametes come from two different individual organisms. In self-fertilization, the gametes come from the same individual. Fertilization includes the union of the cytoplasm of the gametes (called plasmogamy) followed by the union of the nuclei of the two gametes (called karyogamy). Among many animals, such as mammals, fertilization occurs inside the body of the female. Among fish, eggs are fertilized in the water. Among plants, fertilization of eggs occurs within the reproductive structures of the parent plant, such as the ovules of gymnosperms and angiosperms. See Note at pollination.
2. The process of making soil more productive of plant growth, as by the addition of organic material or fertilizer.