SYN: ovary. [Mod. L. fr. ovum, egg]
- o. bipartitum an ovary separated into two distinct parts.
- o. disjunctum an ovary partially or completely divided into two sections.
- o. gyratum an ovary showing curved or irregular grooves or furrows.
- o. masculinum SYN: appendix of testis.
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ova·ri·um (o-varґe-əm) pl. ovaґria [L.] [TA] ovary: the female gonad, one of the two sexual glands in which the oocytes are formed. It is a flat oval body along the lateral wall of the pelvic cavity, attached to the posterior surface of the broad ligament. It consists of a cortex and medulla; the former is composed of stroma and ovarian follicles in various stages of maturation, and the latter, occupying a small area in the hilar region, receives the vessels and nerves. The ovarium is covered by specialized epithelium continuous with the peritoneum at the mesovarium.
Ovarium (ovary). (A), Reproductive organs. (B), Ovarian microstructure, with the stages of ovarian follicle development depicted counterclockwise from the top right, showing follicles progressively more mature: from primordial to primary, secondary, then tertiary, followed by ovulation, and finally corpora lutea from maturation to degeneration.
Medical dictionary. 2011.