egg
UK[ɛɡ]US[ɛɡ]
n
an oval or round object laid by a female bird, reptile, fish, or invertebrate, usually containing a developing embryo.
n
the female reproductive cell in animals and plants; an ovum.
n
a person or thing possessing a particular quality, often in a humorous or informal context (e.g., "a good egg").
Etymology
The modern English word 'egg' is a borrowing from Old Norse 'egg', which displaced the native Old English term 'ǣg'. Both the Norse and Old English forms descend from the Proto-Germanic 'ajją', meaning 'egg'. This Proto-Germanic root can be traced further back to the Proto-Indo-European 'h₂ōwyóm', also meaning 'egg'. The word's journey reflects the profound linguistic influence of Viking settlers in northern England, where the Norse term gradually supplanted the native one, leading to the simple, monosyllabic word we use today for this fundamental biological object.
Analysis
The word 'egg' is a simplex word of Old Norse origin. It does not contain separable morphemes in modern English.
Examples
She had boiled an egg for breakfast.
The biology class studied the fertilization of an egg.
He's a bit of a strange egg, but he's very kind.