polar body

noun

Cell Biology.

1. one of the minute cells arising from the unequal meiotic divisions of the ovum at or near the time of fertilization.

polar body

noun

1. physiol a tiny cell containing little cytoplasm that is produced with the ovum during oogenesis when the oocyte undergoes meiosis

polar body

1. One of the small cells that are produced during the development of an oocyte and ultimately degenerate. A polar body contains one of the nuclei derived from the first or second meiotic division but little or no cytoplasm.

2. See Note at oogenesis

Word History and Origins

Origin of polar body¹

First recorded in 1885–90