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ovum

[ oh-vuhm ]
/ ˈoʊ vəm /
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See synonyms for: ovum / ova on Thesaurus.com
noun, plural o·va [oh-vuh]. /ˈoʊ və/.
Cell Biology.
  1. the female reproductive cell or gamete of animals, which is capable of developing, usually only after fertilization, into a new individual.
  2. the female reproductive cell or gamete of plants.
Architecture. an oval ornament, as in an egg-and-dart molding.

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Origin of ovum

First recorded in 1700–10; from Latin ōvum egg1; cognate with Greek ōión

Words nearby ovum

ovular, ovulate, ovulation, ovulation method, ovule, ovum, ow, Owatonna, owe, owelty, Owen
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to ovum

egg, gamete, oosphere, seed, spore, egg cell

How to use ovum in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ovum

ovum
/ (ˈəʊvəm) /
noun plural ova (ˈəʊvə)
an unfertilized female gamete; egg cell

Word Origin for ovum

from Latin: egg
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for ovum

ovum
[ ō′vəm ]
Plural ova
The mature reproductive cell of female animals, produced in the ovaries. See more at egg.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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