ovum
Americannoun
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ova
plural
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Cell Biology.
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the female reproductive cell or gamete of animals, which is capable of developing, usually only after fertilization, into a new individual.
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the female reproductive cell or gamete of plants.
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Architecture. an oval ornament, as in an egg-and-dart molding.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ovum
First recorded in 1700–10; from Latin ōvum egg 1; cognate with Greek ōión
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Vocabulary lists containing ovum
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.
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The process of formation of one ovum in the ovaries in females is called oogenesis.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
The Oklahoma measure defines fertilisation as the "fusion of a human spermatozoon with a human ovum".
From BBC ● May 19, 2022
The meds listed in the law prevent pregnancy in the first place, blocking the sperm from entering the ovum.
From Salon ● Dec. 10, 2019
When a sperm and ovum combine during fertilization, the result is a single cell with a full set of genes, called the zygote.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2018
Lanning considered, “If you had all your equipment—the brain, the skeleton, the ovum, the proper hormones and radiations—say, two months.”
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
A female has a system “developed to produce ova” while a male has a system “developed to fertilize” that ova.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 26, 2023
The bill defines female as having XX chromosomes, and a reproductive and endocrine system that produces or would produce ova, or eggs.
From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2023
For example, in many mammal species, ova producers do most of the infant care.
From Scientific American ● May 1, 2023
But the fact that the woman produced ova did not necessarily mean she was a source of life.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2022
Gravid females usually do not feed so frequently or so much as other snakes, because they tend to become inactive as the ova develop.
From Natural History of Cottonmouth Moccasin, Agkistrodon piscovorus (Reptilia) by Ray D. Burkett
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