ovary

noun ova·ry \ˈō-və-rē, ˈōv-rē\

: one of usually two organs in women and female animals that produce eggs and female hormones

: the part of a flower where seeds are formed

plural ova·ries

Full Definition of OVARY

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

: 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

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Origin of OVARY

New Latin ovarium, from Latin ovum egg

First Known Use: 1658

OVARY Defined for Kids

ovary

noun ova·ry \ˈō-və-rē\

plural ova·ries

Definition of OVARY for Kids

: one of the usually two organs in the body of female animals in which eggs are produced

: the larger rounded lower part of the pistil of a flower that contains the ovules in which the seeds are formed

Medical Dictionary

ovary

noun ova·ry \ˈōv-(ə-)rē\

plural ova·ries

Medical Definition of OVARY

: 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