WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
am•plex•us
(am plek′səs),USA pronunciation n., pl. -us•es, -us.
- Reptilesthe clasping posture of fertilization in frogs and toads.
- Neo-Latin, Latin: embrace, equivalent. to amplect(ī) to embrace (am-, variant of ambi- ambi- + plectī, deponent of plectere to plait, twine; compare complex, plexus) + -tus suffix of verb, verbal action
- 1925–30
'amplexus' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
