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

One-to-one pollen tube guidance is a critical process in plant reproduction that involves precise navigation of pollen tubes to individual ovules.

From Science Daily

Normally, a pollen grain that sticks to the stigma of a flower during pollination germinates into a long tube that grows straight and unbranched through the ovary to the ovules, where fertilisation takes place.

From Science Daily

This variation is attributed to the process of meiosis, which generates reproductive cells like sperm and eggs in animals or pollen and ovules in plants.

From Science Daily

Staedler’s studies suggest that such orchids might produce more ovules—the part of the ovary that becomes the seed—potentially to compensate for reduced pollination rates1.

From Scientific American

Staedler’s studies suggest that such orchids might produce more ovules — the part of the ovary that becomes the seed — potentially to compensate for reduced pollination rates1.

From Nature

Related Words

• berry
• corn
• egg
• grain
• nut