'ovary' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'ovarium', where 'ovum' meant 'egg'.

'ovary' changed from the Latin word 'ovarium' (a place for eggs) through Medieval/Old French and Middle English forms and eventually became the modern English word 'ovary'.

Initially it meant 'a place for eggs', but over time it evolved into its current meanings referring to the female reproductive gland in animals and the seed-containing part of a flower in plants.