*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of ovo-

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew-der.? Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwisder. Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm Proto-Italic *ōw(j)om Latin ōvumbor. English ovum ▲ Latin ōvum Ancient Greek -ο- (-o-)der. Latin -o-bor. English

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
prefix

egg; ovum

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

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew-der.? Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwisder. Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm Proto-Italic *ōw(j)om Latin ōvumbor. English ovum ▲ Latin ōvum Ancient Greek -ο- (-o-)der. Latin -o-bor. English -o- English ovo- From ovum or its etymon Latin ōvum (“egg”) + -o-.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Derivation mentionōvumla
  • Word-formation component-o-en
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "dercat",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "langname",
      "args": {
        "1": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European"
    },
    {
      "name": "word",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine",
        "3": "h₂éwis"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "ovum<id:gamete>",
        "4": "la:ōvum<id:egg>",
        "5": "-o-",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂ew-der.?\nProto-Indo-European *h₂éwisder.\nProto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm\nProto-Italic *ōw(j)om\nLatin ōvumbor.\nEnglish ovum\n▲\nLatin ōvum\nAncient Greek -ο- (-o-)der.\nLatin -o-bor.\nEnglish -o-\nEnglish ovo-\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"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\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"ovum\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }, { \"is_duplicate\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"id\" : \"egg\", \"status\" : { \"1\" : \"la\", \"2\" : \":inh\", \"3\" : \"itc-pro:*ōw(j)om<id:egg>\", \"title\" : \"ōvum\", \"id\" : \"egg\" }, \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"ōvum\", \"lang\" : \"la\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"connective\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"connective\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"-ο-\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-o-\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-o-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"ovo-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"ovo-\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "ōvum",
        "4": "",
        "5": "egg"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin ōvum (“egg”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "affix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "-o-"
      },
      "expansion": "-o-"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "ovum<id:gamete>",
        "4": "la:ōvum<id:egg>",
        "5": "-o-",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂ew-der.?\nProto-Indo-European *h₂éwisder.\nProto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm\nProto-Italic *ōw(j)om\nLatin ōvumbor.\nEnglish ovum\n▲\nLatin ōvum\nAncient Greek -ο- (-o-)der.\nLatin -o-bor.\nEnglish -o-\nEnglish ovo-"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*h₂ew-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂ew-#Proto-Indo-European:_dress"
    ],
    [
      "*h₂éwis",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂éwis#Proto-Indo-European:_bird"
    ],
    [
      "*h₂ōwyóm",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂ōwyóm#Proto-Indo-European:_egg"
    ],
    [
      "*ōw(j)om",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/ōw(j)om#Proto-Italic:_egg"
    ],
    [
      "ōvum",
      "ovum#Latin:_egg"
    ],
    [
      "ovum",
      "ovum#English:_gamete"
    ],
    [
      "ōvum",
      "ovum#Latin:_egg"
    ],
    [
      "-ο-",
      "-ο-#Ancient_Greek:_connective"
    ],
    [
      "-o-",
      "-o-#Latin:_connective"
    ],
    [
      "-o-",
      "-o-#English"
    ],
    [
      "ovum",
      "ovum#English"
    ],
    [
      "ōvum",
      "ovum#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "-o-",
      "-o-#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "egg; ovum"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "bcfc1335b4fcc1153304b0ea6ddc0abcaf942e5986d0828b38558da736e159f3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b737a82192ffe38ee1a17ed5d037d4b127beb1b5de7791eda996ae93883e3c50",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1178089
    }
  ],
  "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 ovo- →

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-b3ZvLQ