The ovarian surface epithelium, also called the germinal epithelium of Waldeyer,[1] or coelomic epithelium, is a layer of simple squamous-to-cuboidal epithelial cells covering the ovary.

[2] The term germinal epithelium is a misnomer as it does not give rise to primary follicles.

[3] These cells are derived from the mesoderm during embryonic development and are closely related to the mesothelium of the peritoneum.

The germinal epithelium gives the ovary a dull gray color as compared with the shining smoothness of the peritoneum; and the transition between the mesothelium of the peritoneum and the cuboidal cells which cover the ovary is usually marked by a line around the anterior border of the ovary.

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)