Egg
/ɛɡ/noun
A hard-shelled reproductive body laid by birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and some invertebrates.
Did you know?English egg is one of those rare words whose basic form is so old that it has no dramatic hidden meaning in English itself, but it descends from a deep prehistoric root that also gave rise to surprising cognates like Latin ovum and Greek ōón.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂ówis
“Egg”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*ajja-
“Egg”
Old English
OE
æġ
“Egg”
Middle English
ME
egge
“Egg”
Modern English
English
egg
“Egg”