ovulate

American  

[ov-yuh-leyt, oh-vyuh-leyt-] / ˈɒv yəˌleɪt, ˈoʊ vyəˌleɪt- /

verb (used without object)

Biology.

ovulated, ovulating

1. to produce and discharge eggs from an ovary or ovarian follicle.

---

ovulate British  

/ ˈɒvjʊˌleɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to produce or discharge eggs from an ovary

---

Other Word Forms

• multiovulate adjective
• multiovulated adjective
• ovulation noun
• ovulatory adjective
• preovulatory adjective

Etymology

Origin of ovulate

First recorded in 1860–65; ovule + -ate ¹

Example Sentences

Among the findings, the atlas reveals that roughly one hour before an egg is released, the follicles undergo an additional layer of selection to determine which ones will ovulate.

From Science Daily • Jan. 23, 2024

In some cases the ovaries may intermittently “wake up” and ovulate, meaning that some women with primary ovarian insufficiency may still get pregnant.

From New York Times • Dec. 20, 2022

These rodents are normally too old to reproduce, but the medication enabled more than half of them to ovulate, the team reports today in Science Advances.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 16, 2022

First, female pandas only ovulate once a year, according to Vice Motherboard.

From Fox News • Apr. 9, 2020

Female cones, or ovulate cones, contain two ovules per scale.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013