Oocyte

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈəʊəsʌɪt/

Definitions

1. A female germ cell that undergoes division to form an ovum while also playing a critical role in reproduction and genetic material exchange
2. A reproductive cell in females that is essential for fertilization and contributes to genetic diversity through meiosis
3. The immature egg cell in the ovaries that eventually develops into a mature ovum during the reproductive cycle

Etymology: The egg cell in an ovary is named for its shape and its container. "Oo-" comes from Ancient Greek "ōion", meaning "egg", which descends from the same ancient root as Latin "ovum" and English "ovary". The second part, "-cyte", comes from Ancient Greek "kytos", meaning "hollow vessel" or "container", and it reached English through the Latin "cyta" and the modern scientific suffix "-cyte", which biologists use to name cells. Put together, the word literally means "egg cell", a plain description of what it names. The "-cyte" suffix is the same one found in words like "erythrocyte" (red blood cell) and "leukocyte" (white blood cell), so the pattern is consistent across cell biology. "Oocyte" belongs to the modern scientific vocabulary built from Greek parts, so it is a coinage of biology rather than an ancient word.

Synonyms: egg cell, female gamete