Meaning & use
ovary
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Meanings
nouncountablebiologymedical
Either of the two organs in a female body that produce eggs and female hormones.
Grammar: Often used in the plural: 'ovaries'. In medical contexts, it can be singular.
Patterns
- have ovaries
- ovary produces eggs
- ovarian cancer
- remove an ovary
The ovaries release an egg approximately once a month.
She had surgery to remove a cyst from her ovary.
Ovarian hormones regulate the menstrual cycle.
nouncountablebiology
The part of a flower that contains ovules and develops into fruit after fertilization.
Grammar: Used in botany; often found inside the flower's base.
Patterns
- ovary of a flower
- ovary develops into fruit
- superior ovary
- inferior ovary
The ovary of the flower swells as the seeds mature.
Botanists classify flowers by the position of the ovary.
After pollination, the ovary becomes the fruit.
Word forms
| plural | ovaries |
|---|
Common combinations
- ovarian cancer
- Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed at a late stage.
- remove an ovary
- The surgeon had to remove one ovary.
- ovary produces eggs
- Each ovary produces eggs during the reproductive years.
- ovary of a flower
- The ovary of a flower contains the ovules.
Word family
- ovarian adjective
- Relating to the ovary, as in 'ovarian cyst'.
- ovulate verb
- To release an egg from the ovary.
- ovulation noun
- The process of releasing an egg from the ovary.
Commonly confused: ovary or ovule?
ovary vs ovule
In plants, the ovule is the structure inside the ovary that becomes a seed; the ovary is the larger part that becomes the fruit.
Practice
In human biology, what is the main function of the ovary?
Choose one answer.
The ovary produces eggs and hormones like estrogen and progesterone. The other options describe other organs.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ovary”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.