Viviparity has two different meanings. In
animals, it means development of the embryo inside the body of the mother, eventually leading to live birth, as opposed to laying
eggs. In
plants, where the term
vivipary is more usual, it means reproduction via embryos, such as buds, that develop from the outset without interruption, as opposed to germinating externally from a
seed. In both animals and plants, the adjective
viviparous is used to describe the condition.