ovum
[ oh-vuh m ]
/ ˈoʊ vəm /
noun, plural o·va [oh-vuh] /ˈoʊ və/.
Cell Biology.
- the female reproductive cell or gamete of animals, which is capable of developing, usually only after fertilization, into a new individual.
- the female reproductive cell or gamete of plants.
Architecture. an oval ornament, as in an egg-and-dart molding.
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Nearby words
Origin of ovum
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for ovum
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
Word Origin and History for ovum
ovum
(plural ova), 1706, from Latin ovum "egg," cognate with Greek oon, Old Norse egg, Old English æg, all perhaps from PIE root *awi- (see egg (n.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for ovum
ovum
[ ō′vəm ]
n. pl. o•va (ō′və)
The female reproductive cell or gamete; egg.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science 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.