ab ovo

American  

[ahb oh-woh, ab oh-voh] / ɑb ˈoʊ woʊ, æb ˈoʊ voʊ /

adverb

Latin.

1. from the beginning.

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ab ovo British  

/ æb ˈəʊvəʊ /

1. from the beginning

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Etymology

Origin of ab ovo

Literally, “from the egg”

Example Sentences

Moreover, we have the advantage of tracing the growth of the iron manufacture ab ovo, for, as we have seen, before the industrial revolution it played a most insignificant part in English commerce.

From The Evolution of Modern Capitalism A Study of Machine Production by Hobson, J. A. (John Atkinson)

But meanwhile Europe had been flooded with literature on the subject, and the whole policy of fortification as well as its minutest details were discussed ab ovo.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 6 "Foraminifera" to "Fox, Edward" by Various

Too many memoirs begin with tradition; to trace a subject ab ovo seems to have a fatal attraction for the human mind.

From Maria Edgeworth by Zimmern, Helen

T. says it is no proof that Eels are bred in fresh water because they may be found in ponds having no connection with a river—the proof required is ab ovo.

From Essays in Natural History and Agriculture by Garnett, Thomas

They commence ab ovo, or, rather, before the egg.

From Custom and Myth New Edition by Lang, Andrew