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sperm
1[spurm]
sperm
2[spurm]
sperm-
3variant of spermo- before a vowel.
spermine.
-sperm
4a combining form with the meaning “one having seeds” of the kind specified by the initial element.
gymnosperm.
sperm
1/ ɜː /
noun
another name for semen
a male reproductive cell; male gamete
sperm
2/ ɜː /
noun
short for sperm whale spermaceti sperm oil
-sperm
3combining form
(in botany) a seed
gymnosperm
sperm
The smaller, usually motile male reproductive cell of most organisms that reproduce sexually. Sperm cells are haploid (they have half the number of chromosomes as the other cells in the organism's body). Sperm often have at least one flagellum. During fertilization, the nucleus of a sperm fuses with the nucleus of the much larger egg cell (the female reproductive cell) to form a new organism. In male animals, sperm are normally produced by the testes in extremely large numbers in order to increase the chances of fertilizing an egg. Motile sperm cells produced by some multicellular protist groups (such as the algae), the bryophyte plants, and the seedless vascular plants, require water to swim to the egg cell. In gymnosperms and angiosperms, sperm do not need water for mobility but are carried to the female reproductive organs in the pollen grain. In the cycads and the gingko (both gymnosperms), the sperm are motile and propel themselves down the pollen tube to reach the egg cell. In the conifers and angiosperms, the sperm are not themselves motile but are conveyed to the ovule by the growing pollen tube.
sperm
The male sex cell, typically consisting of a head, midpiece, and tail. (See fertilization.)
Other 51Թ Forms
- -spermous combining form
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of sperm1
Origin of sperm2
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of sperm1
A Closer Look
Example Sentences
So too, as a result, has our understanding of their unique forms of communication, which turns out, in the sperm whale at least, to be structured, complex, and expressive.
An unregulated sperm donor, who claims to have fathered more than 180 children around the world, has been denied increased parental rights for a child he fathered as a donor through natural insemination.
Salmon sperm facials — which are sometimes called salmon DNA facials for civility’s sake — have become the latest addition to med spa menus across Los Angeles.
The XX chromosome that in reproductive tissues results in production of eggs, and the XY chromosome that results in sperm production, are also present in all body cells.
Then, they would freeze some of the sperm of the males there and take that — plus 10 live, adult starfish and larvae — back with them to the Lower 48.
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When To Use
Sperm- is a combining form used like a prefix representing “sperm.” Sperm are the reproductive cells contained in semen. Sperm- means "sperm" both literally and figuratively, as in "germ" or "seed." It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology.Sperm- comes from the Greek é, meaning “seed.”What are variants of sperm-?Sperm- is a variant of spermo-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.The forms spermi- and spermato- are also combining forms from Greek é that are variously used to mean "sperm" or "seed."Related combining forms used as suffixes include -sperm, -spermal, -spermic, and -spermous.Want to learn more? Check out our 51Թs That Use entries for each of these seven forms.
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