parthenogenesis

noun4

1. •
   (An instance of) reproduction by the development of a single gamete (an ovum or ovule) without fertilisation by a gamete of the opposite sex; compare monogenesis, metagenesis, and heterogamy.

   • Scientists say the birth is the second confirmed instance of a shark being conceived by parthenogenesis, a process in which an unfertilised egg develops into a new individual. — 2008
2. •
   Asexual reproduction in toto; agamogenesis.
3. •
   figurative uses of the biological senses
4. •
   Virgin birth, in reference to the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.

   • So one might reasonably be led to hold, for instance, that the parthenogenesis of Christ does not beget faith in Christ […] — 1927