ovum

/'ouvəm/

Thân thiện

A scientist carefully examines a human ovum under a microscope.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • The female reproductive cell; the female gamete: A mature haploid cell produced by the ovary of a female organism, capable of developing into a new individual when fertilized by a male gamete (sperm).

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The ovum is released from the ovary during ovulation.
  • Fertilization occurs when a sperm cell penetrates the ovum.
  • The size of a human ovum is much larger than that of a sperm cell.

Advanced Usage

• In a biological or medical context: The term is used precisely to refer to the unfertilized egg cell in animals, including humans.
  • The study focused on the genetic material within the ovum.
• In a developmental context: Often discussed in relation to embryology.
  • The donated ovum was used for in vitro fertilization.

Variants and Related Words

• Ova (n): The plural form of ovum.
  • Multiple ova were retrieved during the procedure.
• Oocyte (n): A cell in an early stage of egg development; an immature ovum.
  • The primary oocyte undergoes meiosis to become a mature ovum.

Synonyms

• Egg cell: The female gamete.
• Female gamete: The reproductive cell from a female.

Related Terms (Not Phrasal Verbs)

• Fertilization: The process where a sperm and an ovum unite.
• Zygote: The cell formed by the union of an ovum and a sperm.

Học thuật

Noun

1. the female reproductive cell; the female gamete

Từ đồng nghĩa

• egg cell