A small rudimentary organ in females located near the ovary, consisting of a few small closed tubes that are a remnant from fetal development.
From Greek 'epi' (upon, over) + 'oophoron' (ovary-bearing), where 'oophoron' comes from 'oon' (egg) + 'pherein' (to bear). The term was coined in the 19th century to describe this vestigial reproductive structure.
The epoophoron is an evolutionary leftover—a structure your female ancestors needed as embryos but that has no function in adult life, like your appendix or tailbone, reminding us that our bodies preserve evolutionary history!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.