noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Any of various processes, amongst diverse animals, in which male gametes are passed from one individual to another without sexual union. countable, uncountable
2. 2
   The process by which an insect (such as a bee) attempts to mate with a flower (such as an orchid) that mimics a female insect, and in doing so pollinates the plant. countable, uncountable

Etymology

From pseudo- + copulation.

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