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ovum

 [oh-vuhm]   Origin

o·vum

   [oh-vuhm]
noun, plural o·va  [oh-vuh] .
1.
Cell Biology.
a.
the female reproductive cell or gamete of animals, which is capable of developing, usually only after fertilization, into a new individual.
b.
the female reproductive cell or gamete of plants.
2.
Architecture. an oval ornament, as in an egg-and-dart molding.
Origin:
1700–10; < Latin ōvum egg1; cognate with Greek ōión
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Ovum is always a great word to know.
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a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
ovum (ˈəʊvəm)
 
—n , pl ova
an unfertilized female gamete; egg cell
 
[from Latin: egg]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

ovum
(pl. ova), 1706, from L. ovum "egg," cognate with Gk. oon, O.N. egg, O.E. æg, all from PIE base *owyo-/*oyyo- "egg" (see egg).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

ovum o·vum (ō'vəm)
n. pl. o·va (ō'və)
The female reproductive cell or gamete; egg.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
ovum   (ō'vəm)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural ova
The mature reproductive cell of female animals, produced in the ovaries. See more at egg.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

ovum

in human physiology, single cell released from either of the female reproductive organs, the ovaries, which is capable of developing into a new organism when fertilized (united) with a sperm cell

Learn more about ovum with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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