oosphere

American  

[oh-uh-sfeer] / ˈoʊ əˌsfɪər /

noun

Biology.

1. an unfertilized egg within an oogonium.

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oosphere British  

/ ˈəʊəˌsfɪə /

noun

1. a large female gamete produced in the oogonia of algae and fungi

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oosphere Scientific  

/ ō′ə-sfîr′ /

1. A large nonmotile female gamete formed in an oogonium, such as the eggs formed in the oogonium of an oomycete.

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Etymology

Origin of oosphere

First recorded in 1870–75; oo- + -sphere

Example Sentences

In Cystopus Bliti the oosphere contains numerous nuclei, and all the male nuclei from the antheridium pass into it, the male and female nuclei then fusing in pairs.

From Project Gutenberg

Guided by the synergidae one male-cell passes into the oosphere with which it fuses, the two nuclei uniting, while the other fuses with the definitive nucleus, or, as it is also called, the endosperm nucleus.

From Project Gutenberg

The product of the union of an antherozoid and an oosphere is termed an oospore.

From Project Gutenberg

We thus have a process of “multiple fertilization”; the oosphere really represents a large number of undifferentiated gametes and has been termed a coenogamete.

From Project Gutenberg

After impregnation the fertilized oosphere immediately surrounds itself with a cell-wall and becomes the oospore which by a process of growth forms the embryo of the new plant.

From Project Gutenberg