Oocyte, a cell from which an egg develops by meiosis, erupting from the surface of an ovary. The ovary is anchored to the abdominal wall by the ovarian ligament. Ovarian follicles, oocytes in various stages of maturation, are visible. Each month, one of the mature follicles ejects its oocyte through the surface of the ovary, an event called ovulation. The finger-like projections of the fallopian tube, fimbrae, sweep the oocyte into the duct where it awaits fertilization.