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

After having a tumor roughly the size of a small basketball on her right ovary removed before the diagnosis, doctors then removed a smaller one on her left ovary three months later, the hospital said. —Becca Longmire, People.com, 9 July 2025

In early May, Mary underwent a CT scan and an ultrasound, which revealed a 7.3 cm mass on her left ovary and a 1.5 cm mass on her right ovary. —Kristen Jordan Shamus, Freep.com, 3 July 2025

Moment Makers Group All cycles involved fresh oocytes (immature eggs found in the ovaries) from young donors (average age 26.1), frozen sperm from male partners and a single blastocyst embryo transfer. —Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 June 2025

These hormones help eggs mature in the ovaries (female reproductive glands that store eggs).567 Higher estrogen levels will usually give you a burst of energy. —Sherri Gordon, Health, 11 June 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