Ovism
Pronunciation : O"vism
Part of Speech : n.
Definition : Defn: The old theory that the egg contains the whole embryo of the future organism and the germs of all subsequent offsprings and is merely awakened to activity by the spermatozo?n; -- opposed to spermism or animalculism.
[Ovum + -ism.] (Zo?l.)
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
Merriam-Webster's Everyday Language Reference Set: Includes: The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, The Merriam-Webster Thesaurus, and The Merriam-Webster Vocabulary Builder