vitellus

V4I1T1E1L1L1U1S1

noun

The contents or substance of the ovum; egg yolk.

Similar
yolk
OriginLatin vitellus →
Scrabble 11
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Meanings

nounvitellus (countable and uncountable, plural vitelli or vitelluses)

plural vitelli · plural vitelluses

  1. archaiccountableuncountablebiologyThe contents or substance of the ovum; egg yolk.

    In the sarcodo there takes place a process which may be in some measure compared with what occurs in the vitellus after the fecundation of an ovum. The granules becoming united together form groups, which soon divide and subdivide […]

    1861, F. Rymer Jones, The General Structure of the Animal Kingdom, page 48
  2. archaiccountableuncountablebiologyPerisperm in an early condition, or when it surrounds the endosperm.
  3. countableuncountablebiologyAn oily substance adhering to the spores of Lycopodium.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounnutritive material of an ovum stored for the nutrition of an embryo (especially the yellow mass of a bird or reptile egg)

Similar
yolk
Broader
foodnutrient
Also see
blastophoreegg yolkyolk

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinvitellus“the yolk of an egg”
  2. Englishvitellus

From Latin vitellus (“the yolk of an egg”). Doublet of veal.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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