conception /kənsep″shən/ [L, concipere, to take together] , 1. the beginning of pregnancy, usually taken to be the instant that a spermatozoon enters an ovum and forms a viable zygote. 2. the act or process of fertilization. 3. the act or process of creating an idea or notion. 4. the idea or notion created; a general impression resulting from the interpretation of a symbol or set of symbols.
