ovist
|o-vist|
🇺🇸
/ˈoʊvɪst/
🇬🇧
/ˈəʊvɪst/
supporter of egg-based preformation / egg-related
Etymology
'ovist' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'ovum', where 'ov-' meant 'egg', combined with the agent-forming suffix '-ist' (from Greek '-istēs') meaning 'one who believes or follows'.
'ovist' entered English in the context of biological and embryological debates in the 17th–19th centuries, formed from the noun 'ovism' (the theory) and modeled on agent nouns like 'spermist' and 'preformationist'.
Initially it referred specifically to a supporter of the doctrine that the embryo is preformed in the egg; over time it has remained a technical or historical term and is now rare/archaic in general usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who believes in ovism — the historical theory that the embryo or preformed organism is contained in the egg.
The ovist argued that the embryo was already preformed within the egg.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 1
relating to ovism or to the belief/theory that development arises from a preformed embryo in the egg.
19th-century debates often featured ovist explanations of early development.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/12 04:25