ootheca

O1O1T1H4E1C3A1
/əʊəˈθiːkə/

noun

An egg case of any of the orthopteroid insects (such as cockroaches and mantids).

Scrabble 12
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Meanings

nounootheca (plural oothecae)

plural oothecae · alternative oötheca

  1. An egg case of any of the orthopteroid insects (such as cockroaches and mantids).

    Since the founding of the colony it had been a tradition to unload oothecae – egg sacs – in the cabinets so the younglings would be near the principal food stocks.

    1994, Daniel Evan Weiss, The Roaches Have No King, →ISBN, page 4
  2. biologyThe theca or sporangium of ferns.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
eggnest

Origin

From oo- (“egg-”) + theca (“sheath”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan ooteca
  • ootecaegg case of orthopteroid insects
Finnish munapussi, munasäkki
  • munapussiegg case of orthopteroid insects
  • munasäkkiegg case of orthopteroid insects
French oothèque
  • oothèqueegg case of orthopteroid insects
German Oothek
  • Oothekegg case of orthopteroid insects
Hungarian petezárvány, ootheca
  • petezárványegg case of orthopteroid insects
  • oothecaegg case of orthopteroid insects
Italian ooteca
  • ootecaegg case of orthopteroid insects
Polish ooteka
  • ootekaegg case of orthopteroid insects
Russian ооте́ка
  • ооте́ка (ootéka)egg case of orthopteroid insects
Spanish ooteca
  • ootecaegg case of orthopteroid insects
Cite this entry
APA

ootheca. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ootheca

MLA

“ootheca.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ootheca. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ootheca,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ootheca.

Source: ootheca on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.