Synonyms

ova

American

[oh-vuh] / ˈoʊ və /

noun

the plural of ovum.

ova British

/ ˈəʊvə /

noun

the plural of ovum

"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

ova Cultural

sing. ovum The female sex cells, produced in the ovary and released during ovulation; the eggs. An ovum must normally be fertilized (see fertilization) to develop into a new living thing.

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.

A female has a system “developed to produce ova” while a male has a system “developed to fertilize” that ova.

From Washington Times • Jun. 26, 2023

The bill defines female as having XX chromosomes, and a reproductive and endocrine system that produces or would produce ova, or eggs.

From Seattle Times • May 22, 2023

For example, in many mammal species, ova producers do most of the infant care.

From Scientific American • May 1, 2023

But the fact that the woman produced ova did not necessarily mean she was a source of life.

From Salon • Oct. 23, 2022

Triplets may arise from one, two, or three ova.

From Essays In Pastoral Medicine by ?Malley, Austin

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