oviduct

noun

ovi·​duct ˈō-və-ˌdəkt How to pronounce oviduct (audio)
: a tube that allows for the passage of eggs from an ovary
oviductal adjective

Examples of oviduct in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Her ovaries are pulled outside her body, and a catheter full of embryos is plunged into her oviduct. Alexandra Horowitz, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024 The embryos were nourished by a milk-like substance secreted in the oviduct. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 May 2024 It’s been known for decades that some live-bearing caecilian species produce a secretion in their oviducts to nourish their young internally, thanks to earlier research from Wake. Popular Science, 7 Mar. 2024 But one female failed to ovulate, another had complications with her egg, and sperm for the third had lost much of its motility—its ability to travel into the oviduct and fertilize an egg—during shipment to the zoo, all of which made pregnancy less likely. Amy Mathews Amos, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2023 See All Example Sentences for oviduct

Word History

Etymology

New Latin oviductus, from ov- + ductus duct

First Known Use

1672, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oviduct was in 1672

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Oviduct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oviduct. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

oviduct

noun
ovi·​duct ˈō-və-ˌdəkt How to pronounce oviduct (audio)
: a tube for the passage of eggs from the ovary of an animal
Etymology

from scientific Latin oviductus "oviduct," from Latin ovi- "egg" (from ovum "egg") and Latin ductus "tube, duct"

Medical Definition

oviduct

noun
ovi·​duct ˈō-və-ˌdəkt How to pronounce oviduct (audio)
: a tube that allows for the passage of eggs from an ovary

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