ovary

[ oh-vuh-ree ]

noun

, plural o·va·ries.

1. Anatomy, Zoology. the female gonad or reproductive gland, in which the ova and the hormones that regulate female secondary sex characteristics develop. Compare testis ( def ).
2. Botany. the enlarged lower part of the pistil in angiospermous plants, enclosing the ovules or young seeds.

ovary

/ əʊˈvɛərɪən; ˈəʊvərɪ /

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

/ ō′və-rē /

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
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

Derived Forms

• ovarian, adjective

Other Words From

• pseud·ova·ry noun plural pseudovaries

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

Using stem cells, they were able to mimic the entire process of how ovaries make eggs.

From Singularity Hub 

Over the next five years, the ovary produces viable eggs, which the team extracts and fertilizes on a regular basis.

From Science News

In 1872, an American surgeon, Robert Battey, removed the ovaries of 23-year-old Julia Omberg to treat disabling exhaustion that he blamed on her lack of menstrual periods.

From Washington Post

At last, scientists and doctors learned how the ovaries actually worked, what triggered a menstrual period, why women go through menopause.

From Washington Post

It seems ridiculous now to imagine physicians once believed that women’s nerves were too highly strung for them to receive an education and that their ovaries would become inflamed if they read too much.

From Time

If the pollen should fall upon the ovary now it would roll off without entering, and would be wasted.

From Project Gutenberg

The single pistil is many times enlarged in the monstrous blossom—in one instance two thirds of an inch in diameter for the ovary.

From Project Gutenberg

In Echinus, on the other hand, where the polar bodies are formed in the ovary, the male pronucleus is always small.

From Project Gutenberg

The development of the Elasmobranch ovary has recently formed the subject of three investigations.

From Project Gutenberg

In the next oldest ovary, of which I have sections, the breadth of the ovarian epithelium is 0.7 mm.

From Project Gutenberg