superfetation Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun fertilization of a second ovum after a pregnancy has begun; results in two fetuses of different ages in the uterus at the same time
    • superfetation is normal in some animal species

WordNet

Su`per*fe*ta"tion noun
Etymology
Cf. F. superfétation.
Definitions
  1. (Physiol.) The formation of a fetus at the result of an impregnation occurring after another impregnation but before the birth of the offspring produced by it. This is possible only when there is a double uterus, or where menstruation persists up to the time of the second impregnation.
    In then became a superfetation upon, and not an ingredient in, the national character. Coleridge.

Webster 1913