spermatium

[ spur-mey-shee-uhm ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, plural sper·ma·ti·a [spur-, mey, -shee-, uh].

Botany. the nonmotile male gamete of a red alga.
Mycology. a minute, colorless cell, of certain fungi and lichens, believed to be a male reproductive body, developed within spermogonia.

spermatium

/ spɜːˈmeɪtɪəm /

spermatium

/ spər-mā′shē-əm /

, Plural spermatia

A nonmotile cell in red algae and certain ascomycete fungi that functions as a male gamete.

1855–60; < New Latin < Greek spermátion, equivalent to spermat- (stem of spérma ) sperm ¹ + -ion -ium

C19: New Latin, from Greek spermation a little seed; see sperm ¹

April 25, 2024firkin

[fur-kin ]

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