egg
1
[ eg ]
/ ɛg /
noun
verb (used with object)
to prepare (food) by dipping in beaten egg.
Idioms for egg
Origin of egg
1
before 900; Middle English < Old Norse; replacing Middle English
ey, Old English
ǣg, German
Ei egg; akin to Latin
ōvum, Greek
ōión egg
pronunciation note for egg
Egg, like
beg, leg, and other words where “short e” precedes a “hard g” sound, is pronounced with the vowel
[e] /ɛ/ of
bet and
let, except in parts of New England and the South Midland and southern U.S., where these words are frequently said with
[-eyg] /-eɪg/, to rhyme with
vague and
plague, especially in the speech of the less educated. This raising of
[e] /ɛ/ to a higher vowel
[ey] /eɪ/, articulated with the upper surface of the tongue closer to the palate, also occurs before
[zh] /ʒ/, as in
measure, pleasure, and
treasure.
OTHER WORDS FROM egg
egg·less, adjective egg·y, adjectiveWords nearby egg
eger,
egeria,
egest,
egesta,
egestion,
egg,
egg albumin,
egg and dart,
egg and spoon race,
egg apparatus,
egg case
Definition for egg (2 of 2)
egg
2
[ eg ]
/ ɛg /
verb (used with object)
to incite or urge; encourage (usually followed by on).
Origin of egg
2Example sentences from the Web for egg
British Dictionary definitions for egg (1 of 2)
egg
1
/ (ɛɡ) /
noun
verb (tr)
to dip (food) in beaten egg before cooking
US informal
to throw eggs at
Word Origin for egg
C14: from Old Norse
egg; related to Old English
ǣg, Old High German
ei
British Dictionary definitions for egg (2 of 2)
egg
2
/ (ɛɡ) /
verb
(tr usually foll by on)
to urge or incite, esp to daring or foolish acts
Word Origin for egg
Old English
eggian, from Old Norse
eggja to urge; related to Old English
ecg
edge, Middle Low German
eggen to harrow
Medical definitions for egg
egg
[ ĕg ]
n.
The female sexual cell or gamete; an ovum.
Scientific definitions for egg
egg
[ ĕg ]
The larger, usually nonmotile female reproductive cell of most organisms that reproduce sexually. Eggs are haploid (they have half the number of chromosomes as the other cells in the organism's body). During fertilization, the nucleus of an egg cell fuses with the nucleus of a sperm cell (the male reproductive cell) to form a new diploid organism. In animals, eggs are spherical, covered by a membrane, and usually produced by the ovaries. In some simple aquatic animals, eggs are fertilized and develop outside the body. In some terrestrial animals, such as insects, reptiles and birds, eggs are fertilized inside the body but are incubated outside the body, protected by durable, waterproof membranes (shells) until the young hatch. In mammals, eggs produced in the ovaries are fertilized inside the body and (except in the cases of monotremes) develop in the reproductive tract until birth. The human female fetus possesses all of the eggs that she will ever have; every month after the onset of puberty, one of these eggs matures and is released from the ovary into the fallopian tube, where it is either fertilized or discarded during menstruation. In many plants (such as the bryophytes, ferns, and gymnosperms) eggs are produced by flasked-shaped structures known as archegonia. In gymnosperms and angiosperms, eggs are enclosed within ovules. In angiosperms, the ovules are enclosed within ovaries. See also oogenesis.
In many animals, a structure consisting of this reproductive cell together with nutrients and often a protective covering. The embryo develops within this structure if the reproductive cell is fertilized. The egg is often laid outside the body, but the female of ovoviviparous species may keep it inside the body until after hatching.
Cultural definitions for egg
Idioms and Phrases with egg
egg