Nearby Words

spermatozoa

[spur-muh-tuh-zoh-uhn, -on, spur-mat-uh-]

sper·ma·to·zo·on

[spur-muh-tuh-zoh-uhn, -on, spur-mat-uh-]
noun, plural -zo·a [-zoh-uh] . Cell Biology.
one of the minute, usually actively motile gametes in semen, which serve to fertilize the ovum; a mature male reproductive cell.

Origin:
1830–40; < Neo-Latin; see spermato-, -zoon

sper·ma·to·zo·al, sper·ma·to·zo·an, sper·ma·to·zo·ic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Spermatozoa is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

spermatozoon sper·mat·o·zo·on (spər-māt'ə-zō'ŏn', -ən, spûr'mə-tə-)
n. pl. sper·mat·o·zo·a (-zō'ə)
The mature male gamete or sex cell that consists of a cylindrical nucleated cell with a short neck and a thin motile tail, contains genetic information to be transmitted by the male, exhibits autokinesia, and is able to effect zygosis with an ovum; sperm.


sper·mat'o·zo'al (-zō'əl) or sper·mat'o·zo'an (-zō'ən) or sper·mat'o·zo'ic (-zō'ĭk) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
spermatozoon   (spər-māt'ə-zō'ŏn')  Pronunciation Key 
Plural spermatozoa
A sperm cell produced in the testis of an animal.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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