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

Once the eggs are harvested, they’re gently rubbed over a metal screen to remove them from the fish’s ovaries, then rinsed, dried and salted before being packed away in blue tins. —Kylie Williams, Miami Herald, 29 June 2025

This includes a maximum of 3 oocyte retrievals—the process where eggs are removed from the ovaries as part of IVF treatment. —Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025

Instead, emergency contraceptive pills prevent an egg from being released from the ovaries, while IUDs, depending on the type, prevent sperm from fertilizing an egg or prevent an egg from implanting in the uterus. —Carol S. Weisman, The Conversation, 23 June 2025

All that insulin triggers your ovaries to pump out extra androgens, leading to PCOS symptoms. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 20 May 2025

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 produce eggs and in vertebrates female sex hormones, that occur in the adult human as oval 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