zona pellucida

American  

[zoh-nuh puh-loo-si-duh, pel-yoo-] / ˈzoʊ nə pəˈlu sɪ də, pɛlˈyu- /

noun

Anatomy.

plural

zonae pellucidae

1. the transparent, noncellular layer surrounding the ovum of mammals, often having radial striations.

---

Etymology

Origin of zona pellucida

From New Latin, dating back to 1835–45; see origin at zone, pellucid

Example Sentences

Instead, the Conservancy resorted to a five-year experimental birth control plan in 2009, injecting female bison with the contraceptive porcine zona pellucida.

From National Geographic • Jan. 18, 2024

White arrows point to the presumptive inner cell mass and a black arrow to a representative zona pellucida.

From Nature • Sep. 19, 2017

These peptides make up what is called the "zona pellucida" — a sort of extracellular eggshell that surrounds the egg in a transparent layer.

From The Verge • Apr. 27, 2016

It was hard to ignore the feeling that they were about to offer makeup and fashion tips, rather than the cold hard facts about ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, the zona pellucida, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

From Slate • Sep. 30, 2014

The thick, outer, structureless envelope that encloses it is the original ovolemma or zona pellucida, modified, and clothed with a layer of albumin that has been deposited on the outside.

From The Evolution of Man — Volume 1 by Haeckel, Ernst Heinrich Philipp August