ovary

noun

ova·​ry ˈō-və-rē 

ˈōv-rē

plural ovaries

1

: one of the typically paired essential female reproductive organs that produce eggs and in vertebrates female sex hormones

2

: the enlarged rounded usually basal portion of the pistil or gynoecium of an angiospermous plant that bears the ovules and consists of one or more carpels see flower illustration

Examples of ovary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a study of healthy ovaries from 28 women aged 50 to close to 80, published on Wednesday in Aging Cell, researchers found that there were hundreds of proteins in the ovaries evolving in the decades after menopause. — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026

How invasive exactly are coaches going to have to get to prove that their star athlete has eggs in her ovaries? — The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026

Four add-ons—acupuncture, intralipid infusion (fat injections intended to regulate the immune system) and platelet-rich-plasma (PRP), or blood injections, in the uterus and ovaries—had either mixed evidence or low quality data backing them up. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2026

Anyone with ovaries who lives long enough will experience menopause. — Audrey Hendricks, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin ovarium, from Latin ovum egg

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ovary

• polycystic ovary syndrome

Kids Definition

ovary

noun

ova·​ry ˈōv-(ə-)rē 

plural ovaries

1

: one of the usually paired organs in the body of female animals that produces eggs and that in female vertebrates also produces sex hormones

2

: the enlarged rounded lower part of the pistil of a flower in which seeds are formed

Medical Definition

ovary

noun

ova·​ry ˈōv-(ə-)rē 

plural ovaries

1

: one of the typically paired essential female reproductive organs that in vertebrates produce eggs and female sex hormones, that occur in the adult human as oval-shaped flattened bodies about one-and-a-half inches (four centimeters) long suspended from the dorsal surface of the broad ligament of either side, that arise from the mesonephros, and that consist of a vascular fibrous stroma enclosing developing egg cells

2

: the female reproductive structure of an angiosperm that bears ovules and is enclosed in a flower