oocyte

American

[oh-uh-sahyt] / ˈoʊ əˌsaɪt /

noun

Cell Biology.

an immature egg cell of the animal ovary; in humans, one oocyte matures during the menstrual cycle, becoming an ootid and then an ovum, while several others partially mature and then disintegrate.

oocyte British

/ ˈəʊəˌsaɪt /

noun

an immature female germ cell that gives rise to an ovum after two meiotic divisions

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

oocyte Scientific

/ ō′ə-sīt′ /

A diploid cell that undergoes meiosis to form eggs.

Etymology

Origin of oocyte

First recorded in 1890–95; oo- + -cyte

Compare meaning

How does oocyte compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

oocyte vs. ovum

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

oocyte

Fertility declines with age, and poor oocyte quality is the major cause of female infertility.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 20, 2024

Previously, it was believed that paternal mtDNA was eliminated soon after a sperm fuses with an oocyte, or developing egg, during fertilization, possibly through an immune-like search-and-destroy response.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2023

In the ovary, the manipulated cell developed into an egg cell, or oocyte.

From Scientific American ● Mar. 15, 2023

At ovulation, this secondary oocyte will be released and travel toward the uterus through the oviduct.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

This results in a primary oocyte finishing the first meiotic division.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023