ovule
noun
plural ovules
1
: a structure of a seed plant that gives rise to female reproductive cells and is found within the floral ovaries of angiosperms or are borne on female strobili of gymnosperms
Note: In flowering plants the ovule consists of a protective outer integument and an inner nucellus enclosing the embryo sac
When the pollen tube enters an ovule within the ovary, one of the two sperm cells it carries fuses with the egg, producing a diploid zygote …—
David L. Mulcahy et al.
David L. Mulcahy et al.Female cones contain ovules, or early-stage eggs, at the base of each of their scales. When pollen from the male cones, brought by insects or the wind, reaches these ovules, they develop into seeds.—Laetitia Sands
Laetitia Sands2
: a small egg
especially
: one in an early stage of growth
An appropriate connection of the cells in the ovary follicles is vital for a healthy ovule maturation and fertilization … . —Navid Shomali
Navid Shomali Examples of ovule in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Once pollen is transported to the ovary, an ovule is fertilized.
—Dezimey Kum, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2022
Unless all the ovules are pollinated evenly, berries are misshapen and seeds are different sizes.
—Ellen Nibali, baltimoresun.com, 27 June 2019
This means that a flower has as many as 500 ovules that need to be pollinated to make a single berry.
—Ellen Nibali, baltimoresun.com, 27 June 2019
Scientists diagnose a mysterious blockage in the flowers that keeps the sperm cells in the pollen from reaching the ovule.
—Richard Conniff, WSJ, 13 Apr. 2018
Fig wasps deposit pollen—and lay their own eggs—in the fig’s egg-bearing ovules.
—National Geographic, 29 Sep. 2016
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Dezimey Kum, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2022
Unless all the ovules are pollinated evenly, berries are misshapen and seeds are different sizes.
—Ellen Nibali, baltimoresun.com, 27 June 2019
This means that a flower has as many as 500 ovules that need to be pollinated to make a single berry.
—Ellen Nibali, baltimoresun.com, 27 June 2019
Scientists diagnose a mysterious blockage in the flowers that keeps the sperm cells in the pollen from reaching the ovule.
—Richard Conniff, WSJ, 13 Apr. 2018
Fig wasps deposit pollen—and lay their own eggs—in the fig’s egg-bearing ovules.
—National Geographic, 29 Sep. 2016
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Dictionary Entries Near ovule
Cite this Entry
“Ovule.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ovule. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ovule
noun1
: an outgrowth of the ovary of a seed plant that after fertilization develops into a seed
2
: a small egg
especially
: one in an early stage of growth
Medical Definition
ovule
noun
ˈäv-(ˌ)yü(ə)l 
also
ˈōv-
1
: a small egg
especially
: one in an early stage of growth
The mature ovule secretes large amounts of progesterone and less estradiol leading to the luteal phase of the ovarian cycle. —T. Corona et al., Women and Multiple Sclerosis
T. Corona et al., Women and Multiple Sclerosis During the first half of the menstrual cycle an ovule in the ovarian follicles matures and the concentration of oestrogen hormones in the body increases. —Larisa Shakhlina, IAAF New Studies in Athletics
Larisa Shakhlina, IAAF New Studies in Athletics 2
: a female reproductive plant structure that develops into a seed after fertilization
Ovules are the precursors to seeds and as such are critical to plant propagation and food production.—Charles S. Gasser and Debra J. Skinner, Current Topics in Developmental Biology
Charles S. Gasser and Debra J. Skinner, Current Topics in Developmental BiologyLove words? Need even more definitions?
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