oocyte

American  

[oh-uh-sahyt] / ˈoʊ əˌsaɪt /

noun

Cell Biology.

1. an immature egg cell of the animal ovary; in humans, one oocyte matures during the menstrual cycle, becoming an ootid and then an ovum, while several others partially mature and then disintegrate.

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oocyte British  

/ ˈəʊəˌsaɪt /

noun

1. an immature female germ cell that gives rise to an ovum after two meiotic divisions

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oocyte Scientific  

/ ō′ə-sīt′ /

1. A diploid cell that undergoes meiosis to form eggs.

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Etymology

Origin of oocyte

First recorded in 1890–95; oo- + -cyte

Compare meaning

How does oocyte compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• oocyte vs. ovum

Example Sentences

Then, they administered hormones related to oocyte development and succeeded in obtaining mature rat eggs.

From Science Daily • Nov. 15, 2024

Previously, it was believed that paternal mtDNA was eliminated soon after a sperm fuses with an oocyte, or developing egg, during fertilization, possibly through an immune-like search-and-destroy response.

From Science Daily • Sep. 18, 2023

In the ovary, the manipulated cell developed into an egg cell, or oocyte.

From Scientific American • Mar. 15, 2023

A secondary oocyte must be fertilized by the male gamete before it becomes an “ovum” or “egg.”

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

When a young woman reaches puberty around age 10 to 13, a promary oocyte is discharged from one of the ovaries every 28 days.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015