from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- n. Reproduction via embryos that develop from the outset without interruption (as opposed to germinating from a seed).
- n. Live birth (as opposed to hatching from an egg).
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Some lizards and snakes have advanced a step further, evolving the ability to retain their eggs internally until they have hatched, and giving birth to fully developed young (this is called vivipary).
The confusion is further compounded by the fact that mermaids are usually depicted with a navel, which would suggest placental vivipary rather than ovipary.
Rhizophoraceae) all utilize water to disperse their propagules, although mangroves display vivipary (the seed germinates prior to detachment from the parent plant).