- a female reproductive gland producing eggs and, in vertebrates, sex hormones
- Bot. the enlarged, hollow part of the pistil or gynoecium, containing ovules
Origin of ovaryModern Latin ovarium ; from Classical Latin ovum, egg
- a. One of the paired female reproductive organs that produce eggs and female sex hormones in humans and other vertebrates.b. An analogous gland in an invertebrate animal, such as a flatworm or a mollusk.
- Botany The ovule-bearing lower part of a pistil that ripens into a fruit.
Origin of ovaryNew Latin &omacron;varium, from Latin &omacron;vum, egg; see awi- in Indo-European roots.