REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM VOCABULARY

We are going to begin with the most important concepts of this subject.
1. Fertilization: Union of a sperm and egg; occurs in a fallopian tube.
2. Fetus: Stage of a developing baby between the end of the 8th week after fertilization and birth.
3. Eggs: Female gametes or sex cells.
4. Embryo: Stage of a developing baby between implantation and the end of the 8th week after fertilization.
5. Epididymis: Male reproductive organ where sperm mature and are stored until they leave the body.
6. Estrogen: Main sex hormone in females.
7. Fallopian tubes: Female reproductive organs through which eggs pass to reach the uterus and where an egg may unite with a sperm.
8. Follicle: Nest of cells in an ovary that enclose an egg; protects egg during maturation prior to ovulation.
9. Implantation: Process in which the ball of cells that will become an embryo embeds in the lining of the uterus.
10. Menstruation: Monthly shedding of the lining of the uterus through the vagina; also called a menstrual period.
11. Penis: Male reproductive organ that carries urine and sperm out of the body.
12. Placenta: Spongy mass of blood vessels from the mother and fetus that allows substances to pass back and forth between the mother’s blood and the fetus’s blood.
13. Ovaries: Female reproductive organs that produce eggs and secrete estrogen.
14. Ovulation:Release of an egg by an ovary.
15. Semen: Milky liquid that contains sperm and secretions of glands; passes through the urethra and out of body.
16. Sperm: Male gametes or sex cells.
17. Testosterone:Main sex hormone in males.
18. Testes: Male reproductive organs that produce sperm and secrete testosterone.
19. Uterus: Female reproductive organ where a baby develops until birth.
20. Vagina: Female reproductive organ where sperm are deposited and through which a baby passes to leave the mother’s body during birth.
21. Umbilical cord: Tube containing blood vessels that connects a fetus to the placenta.
22. Zygote: Cell that forms when a sperm and egg unite; the first cell of a new organism.

Vocabulary Sense Organs

• Cornea: Clear, protective covering on the outside of the eye that helps focus light.



• Hyperopia: Vision problem in which distant objects are clear but nearby objects look blurry; also called farsightedness.



• Iris: Colored structure at the front of the eye.



• Lens: Clear, curved structure in the eye that focuses light on the retina.



• Myopia: Vision problem in which nearby objects are clear but distant objects look blurry; also called nearsightedness.



• Pupil: Black opening in the iris that lets light enter the eye.



• Retina: Layer of light-sensing cells that covers the back of the eye.



• Vision: Ability to see light.



• Anvil: Second of three tiny bones that pass vibrations through the ear.



• Cochlea: Liquid-filled structure in the ear that senses vibrations and generates nerve impulses in response.



• Ear: Sense organ that detects sound.



• Ear canal: Tube-shaped opening in the ear that carries sound waves to the eardrum. Eardrum: Membrane in the ear that vibrates when sound waves hit it.



• Hammer: First of three tiny bones that pass vibrations through the ear.



• Hearing: Ability to sense sound.



• Oval window: Membrane in the ear that passes vibrations from the stirrup to the cochlea.



• Pinna: Outer part of the ear that gathers sound waves.



• Semicircular canals: Liquid-filled part of the ear that senses changes in position and generates nerve impulses in response.



• Smell: Ability to perceive odors.



• Stirrup: Last of three tiny bones that pass vibrations through the ear.



• Taste buds: Tiny bumps on the tongue that contain taste neurons.



• Touch: Sense of pain, pressure, or temperature.