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spores

 [spawr, spohr]   Origin

spore

   [spawr, spohr] noun, verb, spored, spor·ing.
noun
1.
Biology. a walled, single- to many-celled, reproductive body of an organism, capable of giving rise to a new individual either directly or indirectly.
2.
a germ, germ cell, seed, or the like.
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verb (used without object)
3.
to bear or produce spores.

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Spores is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
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Origin:
1830–40; < Neo-Latin spora < Greek sporá sowing, seed, akin to speírein to sow; see sperm1

Related forms
spo·ral, adjective
spo·roid, adjective
in·ter·spor·al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

spore
1836, from Mod.L. spora, from Gk. spora "seed, a sowing," related to sporos "sowing," and speirein "to sow," from PIE *sper- "to strew" (see sprout).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

spore (spôr)
n.

  1. A small, usually single-celled asexual or sexual reproductive body that is highly resistant to desiccation and heat and is capable of growing into a new organism, produced especially by certain bacteria, fungi, algae, and nonflowering plants.

  2. A dormant, nonreproductive body formed by certain bacteria in response to adverse environmental conditions.

spo·ra'ceous (spə-rā'shəs, spô-) 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
spore   (spôr)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. A usually one-celled reproductive body that can grow into a new organism without uniting with another cell. Spores are haploid (having only a single set of chromosomes). Fungi, algae, seedless plants, and certain protozoans reproduce asexually by spores. Plant spores that are dispersed by the wind have walls containing sporopollenin.

  2. See more at alternation of generations.

  3. A similar one-celled body in seed-bearing plants; the macrospore or microspore. The macrospore of seed-bearing plants develops into a female gametophyte or megagametophyte, which is contained within the ovule and eventually produces the egg cells. (The megagametophyte is also called the embryo sac in angiosperms.) The microspore of seed-bearing plants develops into the male microgametophyte or pollen grain. See endospore.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

spore definition


A reproductive cell or group of cells, produced by some plants, that is capable of developing into an adult plant without combining with another reproductive cell. Plants also produce sperm cells. The spores of nonflowering plants are analogous to the seeds of flowering plants. (See asexual reproduction; compare sexual reproduction.) Fungi and algae typically reproduce by means of spores that are carried by the wind or some other agency to a new location for growth.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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