noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The basal part of the ovipositor of some species of insects, typically the non-retractile sheath that remains exposed when the ovipositor is withdrawn and not in action.
2. 2
   The oviscapte or ovipositor.

Etymology

From Latin ovum (“egg”) plus scāpus (“stem or shaft”), from Ancient Greek (Doric) σκᾶπος (skâpos).

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