Overworn O`ver·worn" past participle & adjective from Overwear , transitive verb Worn out or subdued by toil; worn out so as to be trite.

Overwrest O`ver·wrest" transitive verb To wrest or force from the natural or proper position. Shak.

Overwrestle O`ver·wres"tle transitive verb To subdue by wrestling. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Overwrought O`ver·wrought past participle & adjective from Overwork . Wrought upon excessively; overworked; overexcited.

Overzeal O"ver·zeal noun Excess of zeal. Fairfax.

Overzealous O"ver·zeal"ous adjective Too zealous.

Ovicapsule O`vi·cap"sule noun [ Ov um + capsule .]

1. (Anat) The outer layer of a Graafian follicle.

2. (Zoology) Same as Oötheca .

Ovicell O"vi·cell` noun [ Ovum + cell .] (Zoöl) One of the dilatations of the body wall of Bryozoa in which the ova sometimes undegro the first stages of their development. See Illust. of Chilostoma .

Ovicular O·vic"u·lar adjective [ Latin ov um an egg.] (Biol.) Of or pertaining to an egg.

Ovicyst O"vi·cyst noun [ Ov um + cyst .] (Zoology) The pouch in which incubation takes place in some Tunicata.

Ovidian O·vid"i·an adjective Of or pertaining to the Latin poet Ovid; resembling the style of Ovid.

Oviducal O`vi·du"cal adjective (Anat.) Of or pertaining to oviducts; as, oviducal glands.

Oviduct O"vi·duct noun [ Ov um + duct : confer French oviducte .] (Anat.) A tube, or duct, for the passage of ova from the ovary to the exterior of the animal or to the part where further development takes place. In mammals the oviducts are also called Fallopian tubes .

Oviferous O·vif"er·ous adjective [ Ov um + -ferous : confer French ovifère .] (Biol.) Egg-bearing; -- applied particularly to certain receptacles, as in Crustacea, that retain the eggs after they have been excluded from the formative organs, until they are hatched.

Oviform O"vi·form adjective [ Ov um + - form : confer French oviforme .] (Biol.) Having the form or figure of an egg; egg-shaped; as, an oviform leaf.

Ovigerons O·vig"er·ons adjective [ Ov um + -gerous : confer French ovigere .] (Biol.) Bearing eggs; oviferous.

Ovile O"vile adjective See Ovine .

Ovine O"vine adjective [ Latin ovinus , from ovis sheep: confer French ovine .] Of or pertaining to sheep; consisting of sheep.

Ovipara O·vip"a·ra noun plural [ New Latin See Oviparous .] (Zoology) An artificial division of vertebrates, including those that lay eggs; -- opposed to Vivipara .

Oviparity O`vi·par"i·ty noun [ See Oviparous .] (Biol.) Generation by means of ova. See Generation .

Oviparous O·vip"a·rous adjective [ Latin oviparus ; ovum egg + parere to bring forth: confer French ovipare .] (Physiol.) Producing young from rggs; as, an oviparous animal, in which the egg is generally separated from the animal, and hatched after exclusion; -- opposed to viviparous .

Oviposit O`vi·pos"it intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Oviposited ; present participle & verbal noun Ovipositing .] [ See Ovum , and Posit .] To lay or deposit eggs; -- said esp. of insects.

Oviposit O`vi·pos"it transitive verb To deposit or lay (an egg).

Ovipositing, Oviposition O`vi·pos"it·ing, O`vi·po·si"tion noun The depositing of eggs, esp. by insects.

Ovipositor O`vi·pos"i·tor noun [ Latin ovum an egg + positor a placer, from ponere to place.] (Zoology) The organ with which many insects and some other animals deposit their eggs. Some ichneumon files have a long ovipositor fitted to pierce the eggs or larvæ of other insects, in order to lay their own eggs within the same.

Ovisac O"vi·sac noun [ Ov um + sac .] (Anat) (a) A Graafian follicle; any sac containing an ovum or ova. (b) The inner layer of the fibrous wall of a Graafian follicle.

Ovism O"vism noun [ Ov um + - ism .] (Zoology) The old theory that the egg contains the whole embryo of the future organism and the germs of all subsequent offsprings and is merely awakened to activity by the spermatozoön; -- opposed to spermism or animalculism .

Ovist O"vist noun (Biol.) Same as Ovulist .

Ovist O"vist noun (Zoology) A believer in ovism.

Ovococcus O`vo·coc"cus noun ; plural Ovococci . [ Ov um + Greek ... grain, seed.] (Biol.) A germinal vesicle.

Ovoid O"void noun A solid resembling an egg in shape.

Ovoid, Ovoidal O"void, O·void"al adjective [ Ov um + -oid : confer French ovoïde .] Resembling an egg in shape; egg-shaped; ovate; as, an ovoidal apple.

Ovolo O"vo·lo noun [ Italian ovolo , uovolo , from Latin ovum an egg. Confer Ovule .] (Architecture) A round, convex molding. See Illust. of Column .

» In Roman work it is usually a quarter circle in section; in Greek work it is flatter, and is equivalent to the echinus; that is, it has in section the elastic curve of the shell of the sea urchin. In mediæval architecture it is not distinguishable from the multitude of convex moldings, of all sections, which are used.

Ovology O·vol"o·gy noun [ Ov um + - logy . Confer French ovologie .] That branch of natural history which treats of the origin and functions of eggs.

Ovoplasma O`vo·plas"ma noun [ Ov um + plasma .] (Boil.) Yolk; egg yolk. Haeckel.

Ovotesttis O`vo·test"tis noun [ New Latin See Ovum , and Testis .] (Zoology) An organ which produces both ova and spermatozoids; an hermaphrodite gland.

Ovoviviparous O·vo·vi·vip"a·rous adjective [ Ov um + viviparous : confer French ovovivipare .] (Biol.) Oviparous, but hatching the egg while it is within the body, as some fishes and reptiles.

Ovular O"vu·lar adjective (Biol.) Relating or belonging to an ovule; as, an ovular growth.

Ovulary O"vu·la·ry adjective (Biol.) Pertaining to ovules.

Ovulate O"vu·late adjective (Biol.) Containing an ovule or ovules.

Ovulation O`vu·la"tion noun (Phisiol.) The formation of ova or eggs in the ovary, and the discharge of the same. In the mammalian female the discharge occurs during menstruation.

Ovule O"vule noun [ Dim. of Latin ovum an egg: confer French ovule . Confer Ovolo , Ovulum .] (Biol.) (a) The rudiment of a seed. It grows from a placenta, and consists of a soft nucleus within two delicate coatings. The attached base of the ovule is the hilum , the coatings are united with the nucleus at the chalaza , and their minute orifice is the foramen . (b) An ovum.

Ovuliferous O`vu·lif"er·ous adjective [ Ovule + -ferous .] (biol.) Producing ovules.

Ovulist O"vu·list noun (Biol.) A believer in the theory (called encasement theory ), current during the last century, that the egg was the real animal germ, and that at the time of fecundation the spermatozoa simply gave the impetus which caused the unfolding of the egg, in which all generations were inclosed one within the other. Also called ovist .

Ovulite O"vu·lite noun [ Ov um + - lite .] A fossil egg.

Ovulum O"vu·lum noun ; plural Ovula . [ New Latin See Ovule .] (Biol.) An ovule.

Ovum O"vum noun ; plural Latin Ova , English Ovums . [ Latin , an egg. See Oval .] 1. (Biol.) A more or less spherical and transparent mass of granular protoplasm, which by a process of multiplication and growth develops into a mass of cells, constituting a new individual like the parent; an egg, spore, germ, or germ cell. See Illust. of Mycropyle .

» The ovum is a typical cell, with a cell wall, cell substance, nucleus, and nucleolus. In man and the higher animals the cell wall, a vertically striated membrane, is called the zona pellucida ; the cell contents, the vitellus ; the nucleus, the germinal vesicle ; and the nucleolus, the germinal spot . The diameter of the ripe ovum in man and the domestic animals varies between 1-200 and 1-120 of an inch.

2. (Architecture) One of the series of egg- shaped ornaments into which the ovolo is often carved. Gwilt.

Owch Owch noun See Ouch . [ Obsolete] Speser.

Owe Owe transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Owed , ( Ought obsolete ); present participle & verbal noun Owing .] [ Middle English owen , awen , aghen , to have, own, have (to do), hence, owe, Anglo-Saxon āgan to have; akin to German eigen , adjective , own, Icelandic eiga to have, Danish eie , Swedish äga , Goth. áigan , Sanskrit .... ............. Confer Ought , v. , 2d Own , Fraught .] 1. To possess; to have, as the rightful owner; to own. [ Obsolete]

Thou dost here usurp
The name thou ow'st not.

Shak.

2. To have or possess, as something derived or bestowed; to be obliged to ascribe (something to some source); to be indebted or obliged for; as, he owed his wealth to his father; he owed his victory to his lieutenants. Milton.

O deem thy fall not owed to man's decree.

Pope.

3. Hence: To have or be under an obigation to restore, pay, or render (something) in return or compensation for something received; to be indebted in the sum of; as, the subject owes allegiance; the fortunate owe assistance to the unfortunate.

The one ought five hundred pence, and the other fifty.

Bible (1551).

A son owes help and honor to his father.

Holyday.

» Owe was sometimes followed by an objective clause introduced by the infinitive. "Ye owen to incline and bow your heart." Chaucer.

4. To have an obligation to (some one) on account of something done or received; to be indebted to; as, to iwe the grocer for supplies, or a laborer for services.

Owel Ow"el adjective [ Old French oel , owel , iwel , ivel , French égal , from Latin aequalis .] (Law) Equal. [ Obsolete] Burrill.

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
You are here: Webster > Letter O > Page 59 of 63.
« Previous ¦51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 ¦ Next »