fertilized ovum
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. The cell formed by the union of a sperm and an egg: A fertilized ovum is the initial single cell created when a male sperm cell successfully fuses with a female egg cell (ovum). This cell contains the full complement of chromosomes from both parents and has the potential to develop into a new organism.
Examples
- Noun:
- The fertilized ovum begins to divide just hours after conception.
- In humans, the fertilized ovum travels down the fallopian tube to implant in the uterus.
- Scientists studied the development of the fertilized ovum into an embryo.
Advanced Usage
- Zygote: This is the precise scientific synonym for a fertilized ovum, specifically referring to the cell before it begins to undergo cleavage (division).
- The zygote, or fertilized ovum, represents the first stage of a new individual's life cycle.
Variants and Related Words
- Zygote (n): The scientific term for a fertilized ovum.
- Conceptus (n): The entire product of conception, from the fertilized ovum through the developing embryo and fetus.
- Embryo (n): The developing organism from shortly after the fertilized ovum begins to divide until approximately the eighth week of gestation in humans.
- Blastocyst (n): A later stage of development, a hollow ball of cells formed from the dividing fertilized ovum, which implants in the uterine wall.
Synonyms
- Zygote: The cell resulting from fertilization.
- Oosperm: An older, less common term for a fertilized egg cell.
Related Terms (Not Phrasal Verbs)
- Fertilization (n): The process by which a sperm and an egg unite to form a fertilized ovum.
- Cleavage (n): The series of rapid cell divisions of the fertilized ovum.
- Implantation (n): The process by which the developing blastocyst (which originated from the fertilized ovum) attaches to the lining of the uterus.
Noun
- (genetics) the diploid cell resulting from the union of a haploid spermatozoon and ovum (including the organism that develops from that cell)