Ovovitellin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A phosphoprotein found in the yolk of birds' eggs that serves as a nutrient store for the developing embryo
2. The protein component of egg yolk, a phosphorus-containing substance that nourishes the growing embryo inside an egg
3. A yolk protein containing phosphorus, found in the eggs of birds and reptiles and used to feed the developing young

Etymology: Ovovitellin is a compound built from two Latin-derived pieces: "ovo-", from Latin "ovum" meaning egg, and "vitellin", from Latin "vitellus" meaning yolk, with the "-in" suffix used in biochemistry for proteins. The result is a name that says plainly what the molecule is: the protein of the egg yolk. The "vitell-" element is the more interesting half, since "vitellus" is a diminutive of "vitulus", a calf, so the Latin word for yolk is literally a little calf. The Romans used the diminutive to describe the yolk as something like a small, yellow, rounded thing, and the same root gave English "vitelline", an adjective for yolk or yellow-brown. The "-in" ending marks the word as a protein name, following the pattern of chemical naming used in biochemistry. Because the word is a modern scientific coinage built from classical parts, the Romans themselves never used it; it belongs to the vocabulary of laboratory chemistry.