ovary

[oh-vuh-ree]

noun

plural

ovaries 

1. Anatomy, Zoology.,  the female gonad or reproductive gland, in which the ova and the hormones that regulate female secondary sex characteristics develop.

2. Botany.,  the enlarged lower part of the pistil in angiospermous plants, enclosing the ovules or young seeds.

ovary

/ ˈəʊvərɪ, əʊˈvɛərɪən /

noun

1. either of the two female reproductive organs, which produce ova and secrete oestrogen hormones

2. the corresponding organ in vertebrate and invertebrate animals

3. botany the hollow basal region of a carpel containing one or more ovules. In some plants the carpels are united to form a single compound ovary

ovary

1. The reproductive organ in female animals that produces eggs and the sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. In most vertebrate animals, the ovaries occur in pairs. In mammals, the ovaries contain numerous follicles, which house the developing eggs (oocytes).

2. See more at menstrual cycle ovulation

3. The part of a carpel or of a gynoecium made of fused carpels that contains the ovules in a flower. The ovary is located at the base of the carpel and ripens into a fruit after fertilization of one or more of the ovules.

4. See more at flower

Other Word Forms

• pseudovary noun
• ovarian adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ovary¹

First recorded in 1650–60; from New Latin ōvārium; ovum, -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of ovary¹

C17: from New Latin ōvārium, from Latin ōvum egg

Example Sentences

In work recently published in PNAS, the team reports that common viruses can cause a queen's ovaries to shrink.

Read more on Science Daily

In the following weeks, Lisa endured nausea and headaches from twice-a-day hormone injections intended to coax the ovaries to produce more than one egg a month.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A woman from East Sussex who was plunged into sudden menopause after surgery to remove both ovaries is spearheading efforts to change NHS policy in this area.

Read more on BBC

Researchers at the University of Maryland have identified the gene responsible for a rare type of wheat that forms three ovaries in each flower instead of just one.

Read more on Science Daily

After seeking medical attention following the show's run, Kingston was told the cancer was in her fallopian tubes but had not spread to the ovaries.

Read more on BBC