spermato-

Spermato- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “seed” and “sperm.” Sperm are the reproductive cells contained in semen. Spermato- is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology in reference to the reproductive cycles of plants and animals.

Spermato- comes from the Greek spérma, meaning “sperm.”

What are variants of spermato-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, spermato- becomes spermat-, as in spermaturia.

The forms sperm-, spermi-, and spermo- are also combining forms from Greek spérma 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 Words That Use entries for each of these seven forms.

An example of a scientific term you may have encountered that features spermato- is spermatozoon (plural, spermatozoa), “one of the minute, usually actively motile gametes in semen, which serve to fertilize the ovum.”

The form spermato- means “sperm,” as we know. The -zoon portion of the word means “organism,” from Greek zôion, and spermatozoon literally translates to “sperm organism.”

What are some words that use the combining form spermato-?

• spermatoblast
• spermatocele
• spermatocide
• spermatocyte
• spermatolysis
• spermatophore

What are some other forms that spermato- may be commonly confused with?

• spheno-
• spor-
• sporo-

The combining form -cyte means “cell.” With this in mind, what does spermatocyte mean in everyday language?