noun
oocyte
A biological term for an immature egg cell. Used in medical and scientific contexts.
卵母細胞は減数分裂によって卵子になる。
An oocyte becomes an ovum through meiosis.
卵子 refers to a mature egg cell ready for fertilization, while 卵母細胞 is an immature precursor.
Compound of 卵 (egg), 母 (mother), and 細胞 (cell), directly translating the concept of an oocyte as a precursor egg cell.