%ovum%

‖n.; pl. L. Ova E. Ovums [ L., an egg. See Oval. ] 1. (Biol.) A more or less spherical and transparent cell, which by a process of multiplication and growth develops into a mass of cells, constituting a new individual like the parent; an egg, spore, germ, or germ cell. See Illust. of Mycropyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The ovum is a typical cell, with a cell wall, cell substance, nucleus, and nucleolus. In man and the higher animals the cell wall, a vertically striated membrane, is called the zona pellucida; the cell contents, the vitellus; the nucleus, the germinal vesicle; and the nucleolus, the germinal spot. The diameter of the ripe ovum in man and the domestic animals varies between 1-200 and 1-120 of an inch. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Arch.) One of the series of egg-shaped ornaments into which the ovolo is often carved. Gwilt. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Pseudova [ NL. See Pseudo-, and Ovum. ] (Zool.) An egglike germ produced by the agamic females of some insects and other animals, and by the larvæ of certain insects. It is capable of development without fertilization. See Illust. of Pædogenesis. [ 1913 Webster ]