What does "amplexus" mean?

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.

What is a synonym for "amplexus"?

Common synonyms include: amplection//amplexion, amplexation.

Amplexus

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
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. uncountable
"Finally, we came upon a pair of Panamanian robber frogs locked in amplexus—the amphibian version of sex."
2
In vernation, the situation where two sides of one leaf overlap the two sides of the one above it. uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms

amplection//amplexion amplexation

Example

More examples

"Finally, we came upon a pair of Panamanian robber frogs locked in amplexus—the amphibian version of sex."

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin amplexus (“embrace”).

Related phrases

horseshoe crab

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.