5  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Gamete  \Gam"ete\  (g[a^]m"[=e]t;  g[.a]*m[=e]t";  the  latter 
  usually  in  compounds),  n.  [Gr.  gameth`  wife,  or  game`ths 
  husband,  fr  gamei^n  to  marry.]  (Biol.) 
  A  sexual  cell  or  germ  cell;  a  conjugating  cell  which  unites 
  with  another  of  like  or  unlike  character  to  form  a  new 
  individual.  In  Bot.,  gamete  designates  esp.  the  similar  sex 
  cells  of  the  lower  thallophytes  which  unite  by  conjugation, 
  forming  a  zygospore.  The  gametes  of  higher  plants  are  of  two 
  sorts,  {sperm}  (male)  and  {egg}  (female);  their  union  is 
  called  fertilization,  and  the  resulting  zygote  an  o["o]spore. 
  In  Zo["o]l.,  gamete  is  most  commonly  used  of  the  sexual  cells 
  of  certain  Protozoa,  though  also  extended  to  the  germ  cells 
  of  higher  forms. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Egg  \Egg\,  n.  [OE.,  fr  Icel.  egg;  akin  to  AS  [ae]g  (whence  OE 
  ey),  Sw  ["a]gg,  Dan.  [ae]g,  G.  &  D.  ei  and  prob.  to  OSlav. 
  aje,  jaje,  L.  ovum,  Gr  'w,o`n,  Ir  ugh,  Gael.  ubh,  and  perh. 
  to  L.  avis  bird.  Cf  {Oval}.] 
  1.  (Popularly)  The  oval  or  roundish  body  laid  by  domestic 
  poultry  and  other  birds,  tortoises,  etc  It  consists  of  a 
  yolk,  usually  surrounded  by  the  ``white''  or  albumen,  and 
  inclosed  in  a  shell  or  strong  membrane. 
 
  2.  (Biol.)  A  simple  cell,  from  the  development  of  which  the 
  young  of  animals  are  formed;  ovum;  germ  cell. 
 
  3.  Anything  resembling  an  egg  in  form 
 
  Note:  Egg  is  used  adjectively,  or  as  the  first  part  of 
  self-explaining  compounds;  as  egg  beater  or 
  egg-beater,  egg  case,  egg  ladle,  egg-shaped,  etc 
 
  {Egg  and  anchor}  (Arch.),  an  egg-shaped  ornament,  alternating 
  with  another  in  the  form  of  a  dart,  used  to  enrich  the 
  ovolo;  --  called  also  {egg  and  dart},  and  {egg  and 
  tongue}.  See  {Anchor},  n.,  5.  --Ogilvie. 
 
  {Egg  cleavage}  (Biol.),  a  process  of  cleavage  or 
  segmentation,  by  which  the  egg  undergoes  endogenous 
  division  with  formation  of  a  mass  of  nearly  similar  cells, 
  from  the  growth  and  differentiation  of  which  the  new 
  organism  is  ultimately  formed.  See  {Segmentation  of  the 
  ovum},  under  {Segmentation}. 
 
  {Egg  development}  (Biol.),  the  process  of  the  development  of 
  an  egg,  by  which  the  embryo  is  formed. 
 
  {Egg  mite}  (Zo["o]l.),  any  mite  which  devours  the  eggs  of 
  insects,  as  {Nothrus  ovivorus},  which  destroys  those  of 
  the  canker  worm. 
 
  {Egg  parasite}  (Zo["o]l.),  any  small  hymenopterous  insect, 
  which  in  the  larval  stage,  lives  within  the  eggs  of  other 
  insects.  Many  genera  and  species  are  known 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Egg  \Egg\,  v.  t.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Egged};  p.  pr  &  vb  n. 
  {Egging}.]  [OE.  eggen,  Icel.  eggja  fr  egg  edge.  ??.  See 
  {Edge}.] 
  To  urge  on  to  instigate;  to  incite? 
 
  Adam  and  Eve  he  egged  to  ill.  --Piers 
  Plowman. 
 
  [She]  did  egg  him  on  to  tell  How  fair  she  was 
  --Warner. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  egg 
  n  1:  animal  reproductive  body  consisting  of  an  ovum  or  embryo 
  together  with  nutritive  and  protective  envelopes;  esp. 
  the  thin-shelled  reproductive  body  laid  by  e.g.  female 
  birds 
  2:  oval  reproductive  body  of  a  fowl  (especially  a  hen)  used  as 
  food  [syn:  {eggs}] 
  3:  one  of  the  two  male  reproductive  glands;  "she  kicked  him  in 
  the  balls  and  got  away"  [syn:  {testis},  {gonad},  {testicle}, 
  {ball},  {ballock},  {bollock},  {nut}] 
  v  1:  throw  eggs  at 
  2:  coat  with  beaten  egg;  "egg  a  schnitzel" 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Egg 
  (Heb.  beytsah  "whiteness").  Eggs  deserted  (Isa.  10:14),  of  a 
  bird  (Deut.  22:6),  an  ostrich  (Job  39:14),  the  cockatrice  (Isa. 
  59:5).  In  Luke  11:12,  an  egg  is  contrasted  with  a  scorpion, 
  which  is  said  to  be  very  like  an  egg  in  its  appearance,  so  much 
  so  as  to  be  with  difficulty  at  times  distinguished  from  it  In 
  Job  6:6  ("the  white  of  an  egg")  the  word  for  egg  (hallamuth') 
  occurs  nowhere  else.  It  has  been  translated  purslain"  (R.V. 
  marg.),  and  the  whole  phrase  "purslain-broth",  i.e.,  broth  made 
  of  that  herb,  proverbial  for  its  insipidity;  and  hence  an 
  insipid  discourse.  Job  applies  this  expression  to  the  speech  of 
  Eliphaz  as  being  insipid  and  dull.  But  the  common  rendering, 
  "the  white  of  an  egg",  may  be  satisfactorily  maintained. 
 

browse words by letter
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
or search   thesauri dictionary search words