ovoid
Americanadjective
-
egg-shaped
-
botany (of a fruit or similar part) egg-shaped with the broader end at the base Compare obovoid
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ovoid
From the New Latin word ōvoīdēs, dating back to 1820–30. See ovi-, -oid
Explanation
Something that's shaped like an egg is an ovoid. If you want to impress your friends, call that sculpture in the park that looks like an oval an ovoid. Ovoid can also be used as an adjective that means "egg-shaped," as in the ovoid chocolates in a box of candy. Ovoid comes from the Latin word ovum, meaning "egg." The suffix -oid means "like." When you combine those, you can easily see how ovoid came to mean "egg-like." To correctly pronounce ovoid, accent the first syllable and give it the long o sound: "OH-void."
Vocabulary lists containing ovoid
Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 2
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2014 Vocabulary Video Contest (M-Z)
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The Sword of Summer
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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.
The pots were large ovoid, flat-based jars with two handles, many featuring a raised horizontal clay “belt” around the widest part of the jar.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
Arnold was a 9-year-old boy with an elongated ovoid head who enjoyed listening to jazz fusion under the skylight of his attic bedroom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Like islands in an ocean, white ovoid outlines appeared amid the background puddle of stain—vaults.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 6, 2024
When small and ovoid, it really does look like an egg, or an egg wearing a little green hat, which is the calyx.
From New York Times ● Sep. 3, 2021
Pacific Northwest Indian artists carved beautiful masks, boxes, bas-reliefs, and totem poles within the dictates of an elaborate aesthetic system based on an ovoid shape that has no name in European languages.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
