- secondary o. an o. in which the first meiotic division is completed; the second meiotic division usually stops short of completion unless fertilization occurs.
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n.
a cell in the ovary that undergoes meiosis to form an ovum. Primary oocytes develop from oogonium in the fetal ovary as they enter the early stages of meiosis. Only a fraction of the primary oocytes survive until puberty, and even fewer will be ovulated. At ovulation the first meiotic division is completed and a secondary oocyte and a polar body are formed. Fertilization stimulates the completion of the second meiotic division, which produces a second polar body and an ovum.
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oo·cyte (oґo-sīt) [oo- + -cyte] the immature female reproductive cell prior to fertilization, derived from an oogonium and occurring in two stages, primary and secondary oocytes.Medical dictionary. 2011.