sperm - 14 dictionary results
Acupuncture - Infertility
Cedars Sinai - Century City We Bill Insurance - Free Parking
www.live-better.org
Cedars Sinai - Century City We Bill Insurance - Free Parking
www.live-better.org
sperm
1
[spurm] 
, Origin:
1350–1400; ME sperme < LL sperma < Gk spérma seed, equiv. to sper- (base of speírein to sow seeds) + -ma n. suffix of result
1350–1400; ME sperme < LL sperma < Gk spérma seed, equiv. to sper- (base of speírein to sow seeds) + -ma n. suffix of result
sperm-
| var. of spermo- before a vowel: spermine. |
-sperm
| a combining form with the meaning “one having seeds” of the kind specified by the initial element: gymnosperm. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
|
Link To sperm
| sperm 1 (spûrm) n. pl. sperm or sperms
[Middle English sperme, semen, from Old French esperme, from Late Latin sperma, from Greek; see sper- in Indo-European roots.] sperm'ous adj. |
| sperm 2 (spûrm) n. A substance, such as spermaceti, associated with the sperm whale. [Short for spermaceti.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Sperm
Sperm\, n.[F. sperme, L. sperma, Gr. ???, ???, from ???? to sow. Cf. Spore.] (Physiol.) The male fecundating fluid; semen. See Semen. Sperm cell (Physiol.), one of the cells from which the spermatozoids are developed. Sperm morula. (Biol.) Same as Spermosphere.Sperm
Sperm\, n.[Contr. fr. spermaceti.] Spermaceti. Sperm oil, a fatty oil found as a liquid, with spermaceti, in the head cavities of the sperm whale. Sperm whale. (Zo["o]l.) See in the Vocabulary.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : sperm
Spanish:
esperma,
German:
das Sperma,
Japanese:
精液
sperm
The male sex cell, typically consisting of a head, midpiece, and tail. (See fertilization.)
Note: Sperm are much smaller than the ova they fertilize.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
sperm
c.1386, probably from O.Fr. esperme, from L.L. sperma "seed, semen," from Gk. sperma "seed," from speirein "to sow, scatter," from PIE *sper- "to strew" (see sprout). Spermatozoon "male sexual cell" is an 1836 formation from Gk. spermato-, combining form of sperma (gen. spermatos) + zoion "animal." Sperm bank is attested from 1963. Spermicide (n.) first recorded 1929.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Main Entry: sperm
Pronunciation: 'sp&rm
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural sperm or sperms
1 : the maleimpregnating fluid : SEMEN
2 : a male gamete
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
sperm (spûrm)
n. pl sperm or sperms
- A male gamete or reproductive cell; a spermatozoon.
- Semen.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
| sperm (spûrm) Pronunciation Key
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. Our Living Language : The human sperm cell is divided into a head that contains the nucleus, a mid-section that contains mitochondria to provide energy for the sperm, and a flagellum that allows the sperm to move. When fertilization occurs, the nucleus and other contents from the sperm cells are drawn into the cytoplasm of the egg, but the mitochondria in the sperm are destroyed and do not survive in the zygote. Since mitochondria contain their own DNA (thought to be a relic from an existence as separate symbiotic organisms), all of the mitochrondrial DNA in humans is thus inherited from the female. The semen produced by the male reproductive tract as a medium for sperm typically contains over 100 million sperm cells, all of which have but one purpose: to fertilize the single available egg. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Fertility Specialists
Dr. John Jain-25 yrs. experience Full Service IVF & Egg Freezing
www.SantaMonicaFertility.com
Dr. John Jain-25 yrs. experience Full Service IVF & Egg Freezing
www.SantaMonicaFertility.com
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
