Definition

1. Noun:
   • The nutritive material of an ovum stored for the nutrition of an embryo: This refers specifically to the stored food reserves within an egg cell, which provide nourishment for the developing embryo.
   • Especially the yellow mass of a bird or reptile egg: In common usage, this term is often synonymous with the yolk of an egg.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The vitellus is rich in proteins and lipids, essential for embryonic development.
  • In a chicken egg, the yellow yolk is the vitellus.

Advanced Usage

• Scientific Context: In embryology and biology, "vitellus" is the precise term for the egg yolk or deutoplasm, distinguishing it from other egg components like the albumen (egg white) or the germinal disc.
  • The size of the vitellus varies greatly among different species of fish.

Variants and Related Words

• Yolk (n): The more common, everyday term for the yellow, nutrient-rich part of an egg. "Vitellus" is the formal biological equivalent.
• Deutoplasm (n): A synonym used in cytology and embryology for the stored nutrient material in an egg cell.

Synonyms

• Yolk
• Deutoplasm

Related Phrases / Terms

• Vitelline membrane: The membrane that surrounds the vitellus (yolk).
  • The vitelline membrane protects the nutrients within the vitellus.
• Vitellogenesis: The process of yolk formation within the ovary.
  • Vitellogenesis is a critical stage in egg production.

Noun

1. nutritive material of an ovum stored for the nutrition of an embryo (especially the yellow mass of a bird or reptile egg)