oogamete
|oo-ga-me-te|
/ˈuːəɡəmiːt/
large non-motile egg cell
Etymology
'oogamete' originates from Neo-Latin/modern scientific coinage, built from Greek 'ōon' meaning 'egg' plus 'gamete' (from Greek 'gamē'/'gamētēs', related to 'gamos' meaning 'marriage' or 'union').
'oogamete' appears in late 19th–early 20th century biological literature (often written 'oögamete' with a diaeresis) and developed from combinations of Greek-derived elements ('oo-' + 'gamete') into the modern English scientific term 'oogamete'.
Initially coined to denote the egg-type gamete in organisms showing oogamy; this core meaning has been retained in modern biological usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a large, typically non-motile female gamete (egg cell) produced in organisms exhibiting oogamy; the gamete that fuses with a smaller, motile microgamete (sperm) during fertilization.
In many multicellular organisms, the oogamete is the larger, non-motile gamete that is fertilized by a motile microgamete.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/06 18:53