ovum

views updated Jun 11 2018

o·vum / ˈōvəm/ • n. (pl. o·va / ˈōvə/ ) Biol. a mature female reproductive cell, esp. of a human or other animal, that can divide to give rise to an embryo usually only after fertilization by a male cell.ORIGIN: early 18th cent.: from Latin, literally ‘egg.’

ovum

views updated May 14 2018

ovum (egg cell) (pl. ova)
1. (in zoology) The mature reproductive cell (see gamete) of female animals, which is produced by the ovary (see oogenesis). It is spherical, has a nucleus, is covered with an egg membrane, and is not mobile.

2. (in botany) The oosphere of plants.

ovum

views updated May 23 2018

ovum (egg cell) Female gamete produced in an ovary. After fertilization by sperm it becomes a zygote, which is capable of developing into a new individual.

ovum

views updated May 11 2018

ovum (pl. ova) An unfertilized egg cell. In animals it is often the product of the division of a secondary oocyte. Fertilized by the sperm, an ovum develops as an embryo.

ovum

views updated May 18 2018

ovum (egg cell) (oh-vŭm) n. (pl. ova) the mature female sex cell (see gamete).

ovum

views updated May 29 2018

ovum. Egg-shaped form in Classical mouldings, e.g. egg-and-dart.

ovum

views updated Jun 11 2018

ovum egg (female reproductive cell). XVIII. — L., see EGG1.

ovum

views updated Jun 08 2018

ovum (pl. ova) An unfertilized egg cell.