(zoology, countable) An approximately spherical or ellipsoidal body produced by birds, snakes, insects and other animals housing the embryo during its development.
The dictionary defines a surrogate mother as “a woman who becomes pregnant usually by artificial insemination or surgical implantation of a fertilized egg for the purpose of carrying the fetus to term for another woman.”
Eggs “have been prominent as symbols of new life and resurrection,” says the Encyclopædia Britannica, while the hare and the rabbit have long served as symbols of fertility.
For example, it is claimed that when a recording of the male emu’s call is played shortly before the eggs hatch, the movements of the chicks inside cause the eggs to sway back and forth.
Some specimens containing eggs, emerging larvae, spider cocoons with embryos, or newly hatched spiders allow scientists to study the stages of insect development.
In 1999 the population of Belgium was aghast when it was reported that such items as eggs, poultry, cheese, and butter were possibly contaminated by a poison called dioxin.