Ocyte

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A female germ cell in an ovary that undergoes meiosis to develop into an egg; a precursor cell involved in the process of oogenesis; a reproductive cell that contributes half the genetic material for sexual reproduction
2. An immature egg cell within the ovary that divides to form a mature ovum; a cell that plays a key role in female fertility by undergoing maturation; a gamete precursor crucial for generation of offspring in sexual organisms
3. A reproductive cell from the female gonad destined to become a fertilizable egg; a primary cell in the formation of ova through meiotic division; the female counterpart in gamete production carrying half the organism's chromosomes

Etymology: The word is usually spelled "oocyte," with a double "o," and its first half comes from the Greek "ōion," meaning "egg." The "oo-" prefix is the combining form of that root, so the name literally means an egg cell. The "-cyte" ending comes from the Greek "kytos," meaning a hollow vessel or container, the same root that gives English "cell" its sense of a small compartment. The pairing reflects how biologists built technical vocabulary from classical roots. "Cyte" appears in many names for body cells, such as "leukocyte" (white blood cell) and "erythrocyte" (red blood cell), where it likewise names a cell by its kind. The female reproductive cell is thus named by its function, the egg, joined to the general term for a cell.

Synonyms: egg cell, ovum, female gamete