the.com/conception
a microscopic race where 300 million sprinters die so one lucky overachiever can become you
means The forming of an idea or plan in the mind, or the biological moment when sperm and egg unite to begin a pregnancy.
from From Latin 'conceptio,' a noun built on 'concipere' — to take in, take hold of, become pregnant — from 'com-' (together) plus 'capere' (to seize, grasp). The same 'capere' fathered a sprawling family: 'capture,' 'receive,' 'accept,' 'capable.' So whether you grasp an idea or a womb grasps new life, the root is the same act of seizing and holding fast. English took it through Old French 'conception' in the medieval period.
- survival odds
- roughly one in 250 million sperm wins
- timing window
- fertilization possible only about six days monthly
- the egg chooses
- it releases chemical signals attracting sperm
- instant uniqueness
- your DNA blueprint locks in within hours
- slow journey
- sperm take hours to reach the egg
immaculate conception — catholic doctrine that mary, mother of jesus, was conceived without original sin, declared dogma in 1854
conception bay — large bay on the eastern coast of newfoundland, canada, site of major cod fishing grounds