Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

ova

[oh-vuh]
See more synonyms for ova on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. plural of ovum.
Show More

ovum

[oh-vuh m]
noun, plural o·va [oh-vuh] /ˈoʊ və/.
  1. Cell Biology.
    1. the female reproductive cell or gamete of animals, which is capable of developing, usually only after fertilization, into a new individual.
    2. the female reproductive cell or gamete of plants.
  2. Architecture. an oval ornament, as in an egg-and-dart molding.
Show More

Origin of ovum

1700–10; < Latin ōvum egg1; cognate with Greek ōión
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ova

Historical Examples

  • The ova will now adhere together, and some water should be added.

    Amateur Fish Culture

    Charles Edward Walker

  • It is advisable that the ova should be obtained from the fish.

    Amateur Fish Culture

    Charles Edward Walker

  • The ova should be watched during this time, and the dead ones removed.

    Amateur Fish Culture

    Charles Edward Walker

  • The shells of the ova must be removed from the hatching trays.

    Amateur Fish Culture

    Charles Edward Walker

  • Everything should now be ready for the reception of the ova.

    Amateur Fish Culture

    Charles Edward Walker

British Dictionary definitions for ova

ova

noun
  1. the plural of ovum
Show More

ovum

noun plural ova (ˈəʊvə)
  1. an unfertilized female gamete; egg cell
Show More

Word Origin

from Latin: egg
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

Word Origin and History for ova

ovum

n.

(plural ova), 1706, from Latin ovum "egg," cognate with Greek oon, Old Norse egg, Old English æg, all perhaps from PIE root *awi- (see egg (n.)).

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
ova in Medicine

ovum

(ō′vəm)
n. pl. o•va (ō′və)
  1. The female reproductive cell or gamete; egg.
Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
ova in Science

ovum

[ō′vəm]
Plural ova
  1. The mature reproductive cell of female animals, produced in the ovaries. See more at egg.
Show More
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ova in Culture

ova

[(oh-vuh)]

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.

Show More
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.