Meanings
nounzygote (plural zygotes)
plural zygotes
- alsoattributivebiologyA eukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes (“reproductive cells”) during a fertilization process.First known use late 19th c.
Synonyms & antonyms
noun(genetics) the diploid cell resulting from the union of a haploid spermatozoon and ovum (including the organism that develops from that cell)
Similar
fertilized ovum
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*yewg-“to tie together, join, yoke”
- Ancient Greekζῠγωτός“yoked”
- Englishzygote
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ζῠγωτός (zŭgōtós, “yoked”) + English -ote (suffix meaning ‘having [the thing to which it is attached]’). Ζῠγωτός (Zŭgōtós) is derived from ζῠγόω (zŭgóō, “to join or yoke together”) + -τός (-tós, suffix forming adjectives of possibility); and ζῠγόω (zŭgóō) from ζῠγόν (zŭgón, “yoke for joining animals; anything which joins two things together”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *yewg- (“to tie together, join, yoke”)) + -όω (-óō, suffix forming causative or factitive verbs). By surface analysis, zygo- + -ote.
More words from Ancient Greek, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans sigoot
- sigooteukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Arabic زىجوت
- زىجوت (zijut)eukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Basque zigoto
- zigotoeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Bengali জাইগোট
- জাইগোট (jaigōṭ)eukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Bulgarian зиго́та
- зиго́та (zigóta)eukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Catalan zigot
- zigoteukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Chinese Mandarin 合子, 受精卵
- 合子 (hézǐ)eukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
- 受精卵 (shòujīngluǎn)eukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Czech zygota
- zygotaeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Danish zygote
- zygoteeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Dutch zygote
- zygoteeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Estonian sügoot
- sügooteukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Finnish tsygootti, hedelmöitynyt munasolu
- tsygoottieukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
- hedelmöitynyt munasolueukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
French zygote
- zygoteeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
German Zygote
- Zygoteeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Greek ζυγωτό
- ζυγωτό (zygotó)eukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Hebrew זִיגוֹטָה
- זִיגוֹטָה (zigóta)eukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Hindi युग्मनज
- युग्मनज (yugmanaj)eukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Hungarian zigóta
- zigótaeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Icelandic okfruma
- okfrumaeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Indonesian zigot
- zigoteukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Irish siogót
- siogóteukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Italian zigote
- zigoteeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Japanese 接合子
- 接合子 (setsugōshi)eukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Korean 접합자
- 접합자 (jeophapja)eukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Latin zygotum
- zygotumeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Latvian zigota
- zigotaeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Lithuanian zigota
- zigotaeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Malay زيݢوت, zigot
- زيݢوتeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
- zigoteukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Māori pūtau hua
- pūtau huaeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Norwegian Bokmål zygote
- zygoteeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Persian زیگوت
- زیگوتeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Polish zygota
- zygotaeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Portuguese zigoto
- zigotoeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Romanian zigot
- zigoteukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Russian зиго́та
- зиго́та (zigóta)eukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Slovak zygota
- zygotaeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Spanish zigoto, cigoto
- zigotoeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
- cigotoeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Swedish zygot
- zygoteukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Tagalog punlog
- punlogeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Tamil கருவணு, நுகம்
- கருவணு (karuvaṇu)eukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
- நுகம் (nukam)eukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Thai ไซโกต
- ไซโกตeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Turkish zigot
- zigoteukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Ukrainian зиго́та
- зиго́та (zyhóta)eukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Urdu لاقحہ
- لاقحہeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Vietnamese hợp tử
- hợp tửeukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Welsh sygot
- sygoteukaryotic cell formed from the fusion of two gametes during a fertilization process
Cite this entry
APA
zygote. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zygote
MLA
“zygote.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zygote. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “zygote,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zygote.
Source: zygote on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.