Advertisement
Advertisement
sperm
1[ spurm ]
sperm
2[ spurm ]
noun
sperm-
3- variant of spermo- before a vowel:
spermine.
-sperm
4- a combining form with the meaning “one having seeds” of the kind specified by the initial element:
gymnosperm.
-sperm
1combining form
- (in botany) a seed
gymnosperm
sperm
2/ spɜːm /
noun
sperm
3/ spɜːm /
noun
- another name for semen
- a male reproductive cell; male gamete
sperm
/ spûrm /
- 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 .)
Discover More
Notes
Discover More
Derived Forms
- -spermous, combining_form:in_adjective
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of sperm1
Origin of sperm2
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of sperm1
Discover More
A Closer Look
Discover More
Example Sentences
Sperm banks also take a trivializing attitude toward donors.
Of course, Josh, like his four brothers, is a member in good standing of the Lucky Sperm Club.
John Meeker, et al. “Semen Quality and Sperm DNA Damage in Relation to Urinary Bisphenol A Among Men From an Infertility Clinic.”
Sperm banks around the globe are facing a crippling shortage of inventory.
Sperm washing, along with surrogates and baby showers, have all but replaced disco dates.
Sperm candles are preferable to any others for general use at the piano and for bed-rooms.
Sperm whales may be found singly or in groups of up to 35 or 40 individuals.
Sperm whales feed primarily on squid but may occasionally also take octopuses and a variety of fishes.
Sperm whales are widely distributed in oceanic areas of the western North Atlantic.
Sperm whales (p. 57) have a squarish head that may somewhat resemble that of an adult male northern bottlenosed whale.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse