amplect

English

Etymology

From Latin amplector.

Verb

amplect (third-person singular simple present amplects, present participle amplecting, simple past and past participle amplected)

1. (archaic) To embrace.
   • 1657, Jean de Renou, A Medicinal Dispensatory, page 284:

     It is a junceous and gramineous Plant, whoſe ſmall, dry, hard and nodous root emits hard, ſtraggling, round, full, not concave, and clear reeds, gracile towards the top, whoſe rigid, mucronated, and pale leaves of half a palms length, amplect its gramineous ſurcles.

   • 1843, Thomas Becon, The early works of Thomas Becon, page 92:

     We have learned of these your words, that to do truly penance is not only to abstain from sin, but also to amplect and embrace the virtue contrary to the sin.

   • 1843, Richard B. Hone, The lives of John Bradford, Edmund Grindal and Sir Matthew Hale:

     But to this end, that we, seeing our abominable uncleanness and inability, might despair in ourselves, trembling at the justice of God, and his anger which we continually procure, and so amplect Christ, in whom God the Father is well pleased

2. (biology, rare) To grasp (the mating partner) with front legs, so as to engage in amplexus.
   • 2013, David A. Baum, Douglas J. Futuyma, Hopi E. Hoekstra, The Princeton Guide to Evolution, →ISBN, page 716:

     To name just several, male toads (Bufo bufo) sometimes amplect other males, female Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) mount one another and engage in genital contact, and male flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum) will mount and attempt to deposit sperm on other males.

Related terms

• amplection