SEXUAL UNION

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

Meaning:

The act of pairing a male and female for reproductive purposes

Example:

the mating of some species occurs only in the spring

Synonyms:

conjugation; coupling; mating; pairing; sexual union; union

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("sexual union" is a kind of...):

sex; sex activity; sexual activity; sexual practice (activities associated with sexual intercourse)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sexual union"):

assortative mating (mating of individuals having more traits in common than likely in random mating)

disassortative mating (mating of individuals having traits more dissimilar than likely in random mating)

cross; crossbreeding; crossing; hybridisation; hybridization; hybridizing; interbreeding ((genetics) the act of mixing different species or varieties of animals or plants and thus to produce hybrids)

inbreeding (the act of mating closely related individuals)

service; servicing (the act of mating by male animals)