English word origin

Etymology of ova

Borrowed from Latin ōva (“eggs”), plural of ōvum (“egg”).

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

plural of ovum (“gamete”)

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Latin ōva (“eggs”), plural of ōvum (“egg”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionōvala

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "la:ōva<ety:from<ōvum<id:egg>>>",
        "id": "ovum"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"egg\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"egg\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"egg\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"bird\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"dress\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂ew-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂éwis\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂ōwyóm\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*ōw(j)om\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"ōvum\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"ōva\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"ova\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"ovum\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"ova\" id=\"English:_ovum\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "ōva",
        "4": "",
        "5": "eggs"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Latin ōva (“eggs”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "la:ōva<ety:from<ōvum<id:egg>>>",
        "id": "ovum"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ōva",
      "ova#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ōvum",
      "ovum#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "plural of ovum (“gamete”)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "plural"
      ],
      "recordId": "27ab6f9ac70877ced4db11503007f138e1bc69490ebda6093f39b724822db08f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0079ee008c761c9b424d09feaa1db9f0454cad7ce4857f42081d1e4c7b188b9d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 424063
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

prep

Pronunciation spelling of over.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Used to represent a non-rhotic pronunciation of over.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "over<id:above>",
        "id": "over"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*uber\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*obar\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"ofer\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"over\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"over\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"ova\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"over\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"ova\" id=\"English:_over\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "over<id:above>",
        "id": "over"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "non-rhotic",
      "non-rhotic"
    ],
    [
      "over",
      "over#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prep",
      "glosses": [
        "Pronunciation spelling of over."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "dialectal",
        "nonstandard",
        "pronunciation-spelling"
      ],
      "recordId": "64ffa0420f5b61c7e9b663e2fec37b57349ab9bb124457ecf610308d9f475712",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d5e79085c9906723a1b6526230ea4eea726259ca84af0c70e65ac78fc2ee9d3b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 424064
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for ova →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-b3Zh