Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Parthenogenesis \Par`the*no*gen"e*sis\, n. [Gr. parqe`nos a
   virgin + E. genesis.]
   1. (Biol.) The production of new individuals from virgin
      females by means of ova which have the power of developing
      without the intervention of the male element; the
      production, without fertilization, of cells capable of
      germination. It is one of the phenomena of alternate
      generation. Cf. {Heterogamy}, and {Metagenesis}.

   2. (Bot.) The production of seed without fertilization,
      believed to occur through the nonsexual formation of an
      embryo extraneous to the embrionic vesicle.

Source : WordNet®

parthenogenesis
     n 1: human conception without fertilization by a man [syn: {parthenogeny},
           {virgin birth}]
     2: process in which an unfertilized egg develops into a new
        individual; common among insects and some other arthropods
        [syn: {parthenogeny}]