egg

egg¹ Definition

egg (eg)

noun

the oval or round body laid by a female bird, fish, reptile, insect, etc., containing a supply of nutrients, a protective membrane, and, when fertilized, the embryo of a new individual: many kinds of eggs have a thin, brittle shell as an outer covering
a reproductive cell produced by a female animal or plant; ovum
the egg of a domestic fowl; specif., the liquid contents of a hen's egg, as used in cooking
a thing resembling a hen's egg
Slang a person he's a good egg

Etymology: ME < ON, replacing native ey < OE æg, akin to Ger ei (pl. eier), prob. < IE base *owjom-, *ojom-, of a bird (> L ovum, Gr ōion) < *awei-, bird (> L avis)

transitive verb

to mix or cover with the yolk or white of eggs, as in cooking
☆ Informal to throw eggs at

egg¹ Idioms

egg on one's face

Informal embarrassment due to an obvious blunder

lay an egg

☆

Informal to fail completely: said of a joke, theatrical performance, entertainer, etc.

put all one's eggs in one basket

or have all one's eggs in one basket

to risk all that one has on a single venture, method, etc.

egg² Definition

egg (eg)

transitive verb

to urge or incite: with on

Etymology: ME eggen < ON eggja, lit., to give edge to < egg, edge

egg Synonyms

ovum, seed, germ, spawn, roe, bud, embryo, nucleus, cell, berry*, hen fruit*.
Eggs commonly used as food include: hen, duck, goose, quail, turtle, fish, ostrich, guinea hen.
Sizes and grades of eggs include: fancy, select, farm, ranch, western, day-old, fresh, cold-storage, large pullet, medium, small, large, jumbo, white, brown; grade AA, A, B.
Prepared eggs include: fried, scrambled, poached, deviled, coddled, hard boiled, hard-cooked, soft boiled, soft-cooked, creamed, shirred, stuffed, soufflé, raw, buttered, baked, on toast, dropped, goldenrod; egg salad, ham and eggs, bacon and eggs, eggs Benedict, omelet, frittata, egg foo yong, over easy*, sunnyside up*, up*, bull's eye*, two shipwrecked on a raft*.

lay an egg*

be unsuccessful, fall flat, bomb*; see fail 1.

put <strong>or </strong>have all one's eggs in one basket*

chance, gamble, venture; see risk.

egg Usage Examples

Converse of object

fertilize: For example, research into the way genes control limb development in the fertilized chicken egg provides insight into how human limbs develop.
boil: His brain inside his skull would start bubbling like a boiled egg inside its shell.
lay: The race to lay new eggs is on, for the pond may only last a matter of a week or two.
poach: For those who fancy a change, James will rustle up some delicious locally smoked haddock with a poached egg!
hatch: Lewknor School borrowed an incubator to hatch a dozen eggs.
incubate: The latter pair were seen to dance before the ( presumed ) female settled down to incubate the egg.

Adjective modifier

scrambled: Beat the eggs with a little water and stir them in as for scrambled eggs.
beaten: Mix in the beaten eggs, then grate in cinnamon to taste.
fried: In this game you can " create 76 different, real world dishes from fried eggs to cabbage meat rolls!
free-range: We take food very seriously here and consequently offer a range of hot and cold delights including locally cured bacon and Gower free-range eggs.
hard-boiled: Let's say more jolly sausage than hard-boiled egg.
unfertilised: Looking at cells You can see some cells with your naked eye, such as an unfertilised ostrich egg which is a single cell.

Modifies a noun

yolk: Brush the pastry case with the egg yolk mixture to glaze the pastry.

Noun used with modifier

easter: Chelsea Chelsea's excited group had refreshments and football Easter eggs for their first session.
nest: A nest egg Meaning Savings, set aside for later use.
ostrich: Looking at cells You can see some cells with your naked eye, such as an unfertilised ostrich egg which is a single cell.
quail: And there were eggs: quail eggs, chicken eggs, duck eggs and preserved eggs.

Possessives

curate: Gift from the Gods is a curate's egg really: long in technical merit, short on excitement.

Preposition: in

basket: An old adage cautions against carrying all of your eggs in a single basket.

Preposition: from

ovary: The fallopian tubes carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus.

Browse dictionary entries near egg

‹ egesta
‹ egest
‹ Egeria
‹ Egbert
‹ Egan, Pierce
‹ egalitarian
‹ égalité
‹ egad
‹ Eg
‹ eftsoons

egg