ovule

American  

[ov-yool, oh-vyool] / ˈɒv yul, ˈoʊ vyul /

noun

1. Botany.

   1. a rudimentary seed.

   2. the plant part that contains the embryo sac and hence the female germ cell, which after fertilization develops into a seed.

2. Biology. a small egg.

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ovule British  

/ ˈɒvjuːl /

noun

1. a small body in seed-bearing plants that consists of the integument(s), nucellus, and embryosac (containing the egg cell) and develops into the seed after fertilization

2. zoology an immature ovum

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ovule Scientific  

/ ō′vyo̅o̅l,ŏv′yo̅o̅l /

1. The female reproductive structure that develops into a seed in a seed-bearing plant. An ovule consists of a megasporangium surrounded by one or two layers of tissue called integuments. The megasporangium produces spores that develop into megagametophytes. These megagametophytes remain within the tissues of the ovule and produce one or more egg cells. Sperm from pollen grains enter the ovule through an opening called a micropyle and fertilize the egg cells. The resulting embryo then begins to develop within the ovule, which becomes a seed. Among the conifers and cycads, the ovules are typically found in pairs on scales in the female cones. The ovules of angiosperms are contained in a structure called the ovary within in the flower.

2. See more at flower gametophyte megasporogenesis pollination

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Other Word Forms

• ovular adjective

Etymology

Origin of ovule

First recorded in 1820–30, ovule is from the Latin word ōvulum little egg. See ovum, -ule

Example Sentences

The tube extends through the style and into the ovary, allowing sperm cells to reach the egg and central cells in an ovule for fertilization.

From Science Daily • May 21, 2024

In addition to the 45-minute blocking process that prevents multiple sperm from fertilizing the same ovule, a repulsion signal also directs rejected suitors towards other unpaired ovules.

From Science Daily • May 21, 2024

The female gametophyte is formed from mitotic divisions of the megaspore, forming an eight-nuclei ovule sac.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

One megaspore mother cell, or megasporocyte, undergoes meiosis in each ovule.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Each ovule is enclosed at the base by an envelope or collar homologous with the lamina of a leaf; the fleshy and hard coats of the nucellus constitute a single integument.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 7 "Gyantse" to "Hallel" by Various

Related Words

• berry
• corn
• egg
• grain
• nut