Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Ovum


O′vum

(ō′vŭm)
,
Noun.
;
pl. L.
Ova
(ō′vȧ)
, E.
Ovums
(ō′vŭmz)
.
[L., an egg. See
Oval
.]
1.
(Biol.)
A more or less spherical and transparent cell, which by a process of multiplication and growth develops into a mass of cells, constituting a new individual like the parent; an egg, spore, germ, or germ cell. See Illust. of
Mycropyle
.
☞ The ovum is a typical cell, with a cell wall, cell substance, nucleus, and nucleolus. In man and the higher animals the cell wall, a vertically striated membrane, is called the
zona pellucida
; the cell contents, the
vitellus
; the nucleus, the
germinal vesicle
; and the nucleolus, the
germinal spot
. The diameter of the ripe ovum in man and the domestic animals varies between 1-200 and 1-120 of an inch.
2.
(Arch.)
One of the series of egg-shaped ornaments into which the ovolo is often carved.
Gwilt.

Definition 2024


ovum

ovum

English

Noun

ovum (plural ova)

  1. (cytology) The female gamete in animals; the egg cell.

Synonyms

Hypernyms

Coordinate terms

Related terms

Translations

See also


Latin

ōva gallīnārum (hens' eggs).

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *ōwom, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm (egg), likely a derivative of *h₂éwis (bird) (whence also Latin avis (bird)). Cognates include Ancient Greek ᾠόν (ōión), Old Church Slavonic аицє (aice), Persian خایه (ḵẖāya), Old Norse egg (Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, English egg) and Old English ǣġ (obsolete English ey).

Pronunciation

Noun

ōvum n (genitive ōvī); second declension

  1. egg

Inflection

Second declension.

Case Singular Plural
nominative ōvum ōva
genitive ōvī ōvōrum
dative ōvō ōvīs
accusative ōvum ōva
ablative ōvō ōvīs
vocative ōvum ōva

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Aragonese: güego
  • Dalmatian: juf
  • English ovum
  • Esperanto: ovo
  • Franco-Provençal: uef
  • Interlingua: ovo
  • Italian: uovo
  • Lombard: öv
  • Mozarabic óbgo
  • Old French: oef, of
    • Middle French: œuf
    • Norman: oeu
    • Picard:
    • Walloon:
  • Proto-Romanian:
    • Aromanian: ou
    • Romanian: ou
  • Rhaeto-Romance:
  • Sardinian: obu
    • Campidanese: ou
  • Sicilian: uòvu, ou, ovu
  • Venetian: óvo

References


Malay

Etymology

Borrowing from English ovum, from Latin ōvum, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm, likely a derivative of *h₂éwis.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ovom]
  • Rhymes: -vom, -om

Noun

ovum (Jawi spelling اوۏوم, plural ovum-ovum)

  1. (cytology) ovum (gamete)