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

1. (genetics) the diploid cell resulting from the union of a haploid spermatozoon and ovum (including the organism that develops from that cell)