Meanings
plural ovipositors
- biologyA tubular protruding organ for laying eggs.
I'm fascinated by a splendid European wasp - Rhyssa persuasoria (sabre wasp). […] It has a remarkable ovipositor. That's the multi-function "hypodermic needle" at the end of the abdomen, and, in this instance, it doubles the length of the wasp to about 8cm.
2019 September 15, Jonathan Amos, “Wasps: If you can't love them, at least admire them”, in BBC News
Origin
From ovi- (“egg”) + Latin positor (“one who places”, agent noun form of pōnere).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian яйцеполага́ло
- яйцеполага́ло (jajcepolagálo)tubular organ for laying eggs
Catalan oviscapte
- oviscaptetubular organ for laying eggs
Dutch legboor, ovipositor
- legboortubular organ for laying eggs
- ovipositortubular organ for laying eggs
Finnish munanasetin
- munanasetintubular organ for laying eggs
French ovipositeur
- ovipositeurtubular organ for laying eggs
Greek ωοθέτης, ωοαποθέτης
- ωοθέτης (oothétis)tubular organ for laying eggs
- ωοαποθέτης (ooapothétis)tubular organ for laying eggs
Irish ubhlonnaitheoir
- ubhlonnaitheoirtubular organ for laying eggs
Italian ovopositore
- ovopositoretubular organ for laying eggs
Māori pūtukuhua, pūwhānauhua
- pūtukuhuatubular organ for laying eggs
- pūwhānauhuatubular organ for laying eggs
Portuguese ovipositor
- ovipositortubular organ for laying eggs
Spanish ovipositor
- ovipositortubular organ for laying eggs
Cite this entry
ovipositor. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ovipositor
“ovipositor.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ovipositor. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ovipositor,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ovipositor.
Source: ovipositor on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.