amplexus

Plural: amplexuses

Noun

• The mating embrace of a frog or toad.
• A form of pseudocopulation, found chiefly in amphibians and horseshoe crabs, in which a male grasps a female with his front legs as part of the mating process.
• In vernation, the situation where two sides of one leaf overlap the two sides of the one above it.

Examples

• He locked his letters into an amplexus on the triple word score.

Synonyms

amplection//amplexion, amplexation

Related Words

amplect, amplection, amplex, amplexation, amplexion, amplexus reservatus