oocyte
oocyte — noun
- oocytesingular
- oocytesplural
1. a cell inside the ovary of a female animal or human that has not yet finished gr
a cell inside the ovary of a female animal or human that has not yet finished growing, but later becomes a mature egg ready to join with a sperm.
Mizuki studies how oocytes in mouse ovaries divide during the early stages of growth.
subject is a researcher; oocyte as countable plural in a biology context
The clinic froze twelve oocytes from Adina before her cancer treatment began.
collocation: freeze oocytes (fertility preservation context)
Each healthy oocyte must complete two cell divisions before it can be fertilised.
Doctors at the lab in Taipei collected oocytes from the patient for future use.
Most oocytes inside a young woman's ovaries never reach the final stage of growth.
- spermatocyte
the male equivalent — an immature sperm-producing cell
用法筆記
Almost always found in medical, scientific, or fertility-treatment contexts; in everyday speech, people say 'egg' or 'egg cell' instead. Often used in the plural.