eggs

egg ¹  (g)

n.

1.

a. A female gamete; an ovum. Also called egg cell.

b. The round or oval female reproductive body of various animals, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, and insects, consisting usually of an embryo surrounded by nutrient material and a protective covering.

c. The oval, thin-shelled reproductive body of a bird, especially that of a hen, used as food.

2. Something having the ovoid shape of an egg.

3. Slang A fellow; a person: He's a good egg.

tr.v. egged, egg·ing, eggs

1. To cover with beaten egg, as in cooking.

2. Slang To throw eggs at.

Idioms:

egg on (one's) face Informal

Embarrassment; humiliation: If you do that, you'll end up with egg on your face.

lay an egg Informal

To fail, especially in a public performance.

put/have all (one's) eggs in one basket Informal

To risk everything on a single venture.

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[Middle English egge, bird's egg, from Old Norse egg; see awi- in Indo-European roots.]

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eggless adj.

eggy adj.

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egg ²  (g)

tr.v. egged, egg·ing, eggs

To encourage or incite to action. Used with on: The racing fans egged their favorites on.

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[Middle English eggen, from Old Norse eggja; see ak- in Indo-European roots.]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

eggs - oval reproductive body of a fowl (especially a hen) used as food egg food product, foodstuff - a substance that can be used or prepared for use as food egg white, ovalbumin, albumen, white - the white part of an egg; the nutritive and protective gelatinous substance surrounding the yolk consisting mainly of albumin dissolved in water; "she separated the whites from the yolks of several eggs" egg yolk, yolk - the yellow spherical part of an egg that is surrounded by the albumen eggshell, shell - the exterior covering of a bird's egg protein - any of a large group of nitrogenous organic compounds that are essential constituents of living cells; consist of polymers of amino acids; essential in the diet of animals for growth and for repair of tissues; can be obtained from meat and eggs and milk and legumes; "a diet high in protein"