ovum C2+ Topic:Biology & Genetics US /ˈoʊvəm/ UK /ˈəʊvəm/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a mature female reproductive cell; an egg cell Fertilization occurs when a sperm penetrates the ovum. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a mature female... eggegg celloocytegamete ↔ Opposites spermspermatozoon Word family Forms ovigerous Derived forms ovularovoid Related forms ovaryovuleoval Etymology AI details From Latin ovum ('egg'), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm ('egg'), probably derived from *h₂ewi- ('bird'). ovum Latin *h₂ōwyóm Proto-Indo-European View etymology graph -> Topics Biology & Genetics General Vocabulary External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # ovum **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈoʊvəm/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈəʊvəm/ ## Meanings 1. a mature female reproductive cell; an egg cell ## Examples - Fertilization occurs when a sperm penetrates the ovum. ## Synonyms - egg - egg cell - oocyte - gamete ## Antonyms - sperm - spermatozoon ## Derived Forms - ovular - ovoid ## Related Forms - ovary - ovule - oval ## Roots and Affixes - Root: ovum - Root: *h₂ōwyóm ## Etymology From Latin ovum ('egg'), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm ('egg'), probably derived from *h₂ewi- ('bird'). ## AI Etymology Ovum comes from Latin ovum ('egg'), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm ('egg'), probably derived from *h₂ewi- ('bird'). The etymological trail includes Latin ovum and Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm. As a noun, ovum means a mature female reproductive cell; an egg cell. The same family is visible in derived forms such as ovular and ovoid and related forms such as ovary, ovule, and oval. The uncertainty belongs to the older derivation, so the explanation should preserve alternatives rather than choosing one unsupported origin. ## Topics - Biology & Genetics - General Vocabulary markdown