ovary

noun

ova·​ry ˈō-və-rē 

ˈōv-rē

plural ovaries

1

: one of the typically paired essential female reproductive organs that produce eggs and in vertebrates female sex hormones

2

: the enlarged rounded usually basal portion of the pistil or gynoecium of an angiospermous plant that bears the ovules and consists of one or more carpels see flower illustration

Examples of ovary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The separation between these two phases is ovulation, in which a mature egg is released from an ovary and travels down to the uterus through one of the two fallopian tubes.1 Hormone Fluctuations Hormonal changes regulate your monthly menstrual cycle. —Corey Whelan, Verywell Health, 18 Sep. 2024

In general, the IVF process involves stimulating ovulation, retrieving those eggs from the ovaries, fertilizing them with sperm in a lab, and then transferring the embryo into the uterus in hopes of achieving a pregnancy. —Jenna Ryu, SELF, 12 Sep. 2024

During perimenopause, ovulation (the release of an egg from the ovary) may not occur every month. —Sandra Rose Salathe, Flow Space, 10 Sep. 2024

Cancers of the bladder, kidney, ovaries, pancreas, prostate, thyroid, and uterus also became significantly more common in the nearly three decades covered by the global investigation published in BMJ. —Dylan Scott, Vox, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin ovarium, from Latin ovum egg

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ovary

• polycystic ovary syndrome

Kids Definition

ovary

noun

ova·​ry ˈōv-(ə-)rē 

plural ovaries

1

: one of the usually paired organs in the body of female animals that produces eggs and that in female vertebrates also produces sex hormones

2

: the enlarged rounded lower part of the pistil of a flower in which seeds are formed

Medical Definition

ovary

noun

ova·​ry ˈōv-(ə-)rē 

plural ovaries

1

: one of the typically paired essential female reproductive organs that produce eggs and in vertebrates female sex hormones, that occur in the adult human as oval flattened bodies about one and a half inches (four centimeters) long suspended from the dorsal surface of the broad ligament of either side, that arise from the mesonephros, and that consist of a vascular fibrous stroma enclosing developing egg cells

2

: the female reproductive structure of an angiosperm that bears ovules and is enclosed in a flower