ōvum
neuter
The Latin word for egg is ōvum.
ōvum refers to the edible egg of a domestic fowl, or the contents of such an egg used as food.
Meaning: edible egg of a domestic fowl, the contents of such an egg or eggs used as food (noun)
Which one should you use?
ōvum is the singular form, while ōva is the plural form used to refer to eggs.
How does it change in a sentence?
ōvum is a neuter noun. Its genitive singular form is ōvī, meaning "of the egg". The ablative singular form is ōvō, meaning "by", "with" or "from the egg". The plural form is ōva, meaning "eggs".
Did you know?
- The word ōvum appears in the phrase ab ōvō, meaning 'from the egg', which is used to describe telling a story from the very beginning.
- Roman gourmets often served ōva with a sauce called garum, a fermented fish sauce that was the most popular condiment in the empire.
Examples in context
- ōvum in aquam iacereTo throw an egg into water
Example conversation
Quintus and Lucia are preparing a meal in the kitchen.
- QuintusLucia, ubi est ōvum?Lucia, where is the egg?
- LuciaIn mensā est, Quinte.It is on the table, Quintus.
- QuintusGratias, ōvum coquere volo.Thanks, I want to cook the egg.
- LuciaBene, ego te adiuvabo.Fine, I will help you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “egg” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
