oogamete

[ oh-uh-gam-eet, -guh-meet ]

/ oʊ əˈgæm it, -gəˈmit /

noun Cell Biology.

one of a pair of structurally dissimilar gametes, the female gamete being large and nonmotile and the male gamete being small and motile.

Nearby words

ooblast, oocyst, oocyte, oodles, oof, oogamete, oogamous, oogamy, oogenesis, oogonium, ooh

Origin of oogamete

First recorded in 1890–95; oo- + gamete

Related forms

o·og·a·mous

[oh-og-uh-muh s] /oʊˈɒg ə məs/, adjectiveo·og·a·my, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Medicine definitions for oogamous (1 of 2)

oogamous

[ ō-ŏg′ə-məs ]

adj.

Characterized by or having small motile male gametes and large nonmotile female gametes.

Medicine definitions for oogamous (2 of 2)

oogamete

[ ō′ə-găm′ēt′, -gə-mēt′ ]

n.

A female gamete, especially the larger of two gametes produced by an oogamous species.

Science definitions for oogamous

oogamy

[ ō-ŏg′ə-mē ]

A system of sexual reproduction in which one gamete (called the egg) is large and nonmotile, while the other (called the sperm) is small and motile. Oogamy is a type of heterogamy. Compare isogamy.

Related forms

oogamous adjective