definitions

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, oogenetic, oogonium

Origin of oogamete

First recorded in 1890–95; oo- + gamete
Related formso·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

British Dictionary definitions for oogamy

oogamy

/ (əʊˈɒɡəmɪ) /

noun

sexual reproduction involving a small motile male gamete and a large much less motile female gamete: occurs in all higher animals and some plants
Derived Formsoogamous, adjective
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

Medicine definitions for oogamy

oogamete

[ ō′ə-găm′ēt′, -gə-mēt′ ]

n.

A female gamete, especially the larger of two gametes produced by an oogamous species.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for oogamy

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 formsoogamous adjective
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.