Word Study
ovum
CIDE DICTIONARY
ovum, n. [L., an egg. See Oval.].
- 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. [1913 Webster]" 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, thevitellus ; the nucleus, thegerminal vesicle ; and the nucleolus, thegerminal spot . The diameter of the ripe ovum in man and the domestic animals varies between 1-200 and 1-120 of an inch." [1913 Webster] - One of the series of egg-shaped ornaments into which the ovolo is often carved. Gwilt. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
ovum, n. (pl. ova)
1 a mature reproductive cell of female animals, produced by the ovary.
2 the egg cell of plants.
1 a mature reproductive cell of female animals, produced by the ovary.
2 the egg cell of plants.
Etymology
L, = egg
ROGET THESAURUS
ovum
Organization
N organization, organized world, organized nature, living nature, animated nature, living beings, organic remains, fossils, protoplasm, cytoplasm, protein, albumen, structure, organization, organism, biology, natural history, organic chemistry, anatomy, physiology, zoology, botany, microbiology, virology, bacteriology, mycology, naturalist, archegenesis, antherozoid, bioplasm, biotaxy, chromosome, dysmeromorph, ecology, oecology, erythroblast, gametangium, gamete, germinal matter, invagination, isogamy, oogamy, karyaster, macrogamete, microgamete, metabolism, anabolism, catabolism, metaplasm, ontogeny, ovary, ovum, oxidation, phylogeny, polymorphism, protozoa, spermary, spermatozoon, trophoplasm, vacuole, vertebration, zoogloea, zygote, Darwinism, neo-Darwinism, Lamarkism, neoLamarkism, Weismannism, morphology, taxonomy, organic, organized, karyoplasmic, unsegmentic, vacuolar, zoogloeic, zoogloeoid.For further exploring for "ovum" in Webster Dictionary Online