fallopian tube

views updated Jun 08 2018

fal·lo·pi·an tube / fəˈlōpēən/ (also Fal·lo·pi·an) • n. Anat. (in a female mammal) either of a pair of tubes along which eggs travel from the ovaries to the uterus.

Fallopian tube

views updated May 21 2018

Fallopian tube (oviduct) In mammals, either of two narrow ducts leading from the upper part of the uterus into the pelvic cavity and ending near each ovary. After ovulation, the ovum enters and travels through the Fallopian tube where fertilization can occur. The fertilized ovum, or embryo, continues into the uterus where it becomes implanted.

Fallopian tube

views updated May 09 2018

Fallopian tube (oviduct, uterine tube) (fă-loh-piăn) n. either of a pair of tubes that conduct ova from the ovary to the uterus (see reproductive system). The ovarian end opens into the abdominal cavity via a funnel-shaped structure with fimbriae surrounding the opening. The ovum is fertilized near the ovarian end of the tube. [ G. Fallopius (1523–63), Italian anatomist]

fallopian tube

views updated Jun 08 2018

fallopian tube (oviduct) The tube that carries egg cells from the ovary to the womb in mammals. The eggs are carried by the action of muscles and cilia. It was named after Gabriel Fallopius.

Fallopian tube

views updated May 18 2018

Fallopian tube In female mammals, the duct, with a funnel-shaped opening, that connects the uterus and the peritoneal cavity. The muscular contraction and ciliary action of the tube moves eggs from the ovary to the uterus, and sperms from the uterus to the upper part of the tube, where fertilization occurs.