-sporous

1. a combining form meaning “having spores” of the kind specified by the initial element:

   helicosporous.

-sporous

combining form

1. (in botany) having a specified type or number of spores

   homosporous

Word History and Origins

Origin of -sporous¹

< Greek -sporos; spore, -ous

Words That Use -Sporous

What does -sporous mean?

The combining form -sporous is used like a suffix meaning “having spores.” It is often used in scientific terms, especially in biology.

The form -sporous ultimately comes from the Greek sporá, meaning “sowing” and “seed.”

What are variants of –sporous?

The form -sporous is often used as an adjective form of words ending in the related form -spore, used in nouns such as teliospore. When used at the beginning of a word like a prefix, -spore becomes spor-, spori-, or sporo- depending on the origin or first letter of the word or word element it is combined with.

Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for spor-, spori-, sporo-, and -spore.

Examples of -sporous

One example of a scientific term that features the combining form -sporous is homosporous, meaning “having the spores of one kind only.”

The combining form homo- means “same, alike.” Because -sporous means “having spores,” homosporous means “having spores that are alike.”

What are some words that use the combining form –sporous?

• acrosporous
• endosporous
• helicosporous
• heterosporous
• tetrasporous

What are some other forms that –sporous may be commonly confused with?

• -parous
• -sphere

The word porous is unrelated to this combining form despite the identical spelling. Find out where this word comes from at our entry for porous.

Break it down?

The combining form he

One example of a scientific term that features the combining form -sporous is homosporous, meaning “having the spores of one kind only.”

 

The combining form homo- means “same, alike.” Because -sporous means “having spores,” homosporous means “having spores that are alike.”  

 

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

 

• acrosporous
• endosporous
• helicosporous
• heterosporous
• tetrasporous

 

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

 

• -parous
• -sphere

The word porous is unrelated to this combining form despite the identical spelling. Find out where this word comes from at our entry for porous.tero- means “different” or “other.” With this in mind, what does heterosporous mean?