ETYM Latin, an egg. Related to Oval.
(Irregular plural: ova).
The female reproductive cell; the female gamete; SYN. egg cell.
Female's germ-cell from which, after fertilization, embryo develops. Female gamete (sex cell) before fertilization. In animals it is called an egg, and is produced in the ovaries. In plants, where it is also known as an egg cell or oosphere, the ovum is produced in an ovule. The ovum is nonmotile. It must be fertilized by a male gamete before it can develop further, except in cases of parthenogenesis.