noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A large nonmotile egg cell, especially of an alga or fungus, formed in an oogonium and ready for fertilization.
2. 2
   a gamete; used especially of lower plants wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

ooplast

Etymology

PIE word *h₂ōwyóm From oo- (prefix denoting something relating to eggs or ova) + -sphere, modelled after French oosphère.

Related phrases

egg cell

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.