parthenogenesis (2009-05-07)

Part of Speech: noun

Pronunciation: [pah(r)-thê-nê-'jen-ê-sis]

Definition: (1) Asexual reproduction by a single (female) organism without assistance from the opposite gender. (2) Virgin birth.

Usage: The most famous incident of parthenogenesis in the West and Middle East, of course, was that of Jesus Christ. According to Biblical sources, he was brought forth by Mary alone, without the procreative intervention of her husband, Joseph. Indeed, gods are often portrayed as parthenogenetically born: from Gaia, the Greek Earth-mother, who brought forth Pontus (the sea) and Uranus (the sky) parthenogenetically, to the birth of Huitzilopochtli, the supreme being and god of war in the Aztec religion of ancient Mexico, on the other side of the world.

Suggested Usage: The adjective is "parthenogenetic" and the adverb, "parthenogenetically." Although some dictionaries list "parthenogeneses" (with an [e] in the final syllable) as the plural of today's word, it is hard to imagine how it could be used in the plural.

Etymology: Today's word arose just in the 19th century from Greek parthenos "virgin" + genesis "birth." The site of the Temple of Athena in Athens is the Parthenon, another Greek word from "parthenos." The first book of the Old Testament is called "Genesis" because it is about the birth of the earth, itself parthenogenetic. The root is *gen- "produce, create," and the Latin reflex of it is found in many English borrowings, including, "generate," "gender," "general," "generic," "generous," "genre," "genus," "genius," "degenerate," "gene," and "genealogy." The native English reflexes of the same root include "kin," "kind," and "king."