OVUM

This diminutive is also applied to the ovum of the Mammal i a on account of its relatively minute size: it is, however, a true ovum, having all the e ential parts, as the germinal spot, germinal membrane, vitellus, vitelline membrane, and chorion. See Ovom. OvuLUM. In Botany, a small pellucid pulpy body, borne by the placenta of a plant, and gradually changing into a seed; it consists of a central nucleus, enclosed within a definite number of coats, varying from one to two, and furnished with an aperture or foramen, through which impregnation takes place. [s. 878]