sperm

¹

[ spurm ]

noun

, plural sperm, sperms

1. semen.
2. a male reproductive cell; spermatozoon.

sperm

²

[ spurm ]

noun

1. spermaceti.
2. sperm whale.
3. sperm oil.

sperm-

³

1. variant of spermo- before a vowel:

   spermine.

-sperm

⁴

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

   gymnosperm.

-sperm

¹

combining form

1. (in botany) a seed

   gymnosperm

sperm

²

/ spɜːm /

noun

1. short for sperm whale spermaceti sperm oil

sperm

³

/ spɜːm /

noun

1. another name for semen
2. a male reproductive cell; male gamete

sperm

/ spûrm /

1. The smaller, usually motile male reproductive cell of most organisms that reproduce sexually. Sperm cells are haploid (they have half the number of chromosomes as the other cells in the organism's body). Sperm often have at least one flagellum. During fertilization, the nucleus of a sperm fuses with the nucleus of the much larger egg cell (the female reproductive cell) to form a new organism. In male animals, sperm are normally produced by the testes in extremely large numbers in order to increase the chances of fertilizing an egg. Motile sperm cells produced by some multicellular protist groups (such as the algae), the bryophyte plants, and the seedless vascular plants, require water to swim to the egg cell. In gymnosperms and angiosperms, sperm do not need water for mobility but are carried to the female reproductive organs in the pollen grain. In the cycads and the gingko (both gymnosperms), the sperm are motile and propel themselves down the pollen tube to reach the egg cell. In the conifers and angiosperms, the sperm are not themselves motile but are conveyed to the ovule by the growing pollen tube.

sperm

1. The male sex cell , typically consisting of a head, midpiece, and tail. ( See fertilization .)

Notes

Sperm are much smaller than the ova they fertilize.

Derived Forms

• -spermous, combining_form:in_adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sperm¹

1350–1400; Middle English sperme < Late Latin sperma < Greek spérma seed, equivalent to sper- (base of speírein to sow seeds) + -ma noun suffix of result

Origin of sperm²

First recorded in 1830–40; by shortening

Origin of sperm³

< Greek -spermos; -spermous

Word History and Origins

Origin of sperm¹

C14: from Late Latin sperma, from Greek; related to Greek speirein to sow

A Closer Look

The human sperm cell is divided into a head that contains the nucleus, a mid-section that contains mitochondria to provide energy for the sperm, and a flagellum that allows the sperm to move. When fertilization occurs, the nucleus and other contents from the sperm cells are drawn into the cytoplasm of the egg, but the mitochondria in the sperm are destroyed and do not survive in the zygote. Since mitochondria contain their own DNA (thought to be a relic from an existence as separate symbiotic organisms), all of the mitochrondrial DNA in humans is thus inherited from the female. The semen produced by the male reproductive tract as a medium for sperm typically contains over 100 million sperm cells, all of which have but one purpose: to fertilize the single available egg.

Example Sentences

In 1975, he wrote a paper titled “The Case for Passive Eugenics” and would later, in a letter to eugenicist Robert Graham, a millionaire businessman known for starting a sperm bank for geniuses, clarify his goals.

From Salon

As for ethical concerns, Georgie said, surrogacy "felt like the last step" in their IVF journey using "Ben's sperm, a donor egg and a surrogate carrier".

From BBC

IVF - or in vitro fertilisation - is when an egg is removed from a woman's ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory.

From BBC

Officials said the development was important as it has opened up the possibility of creating a sperm bank.

From BBC

She hopes to use them if she meets someone, or if she reaches a financial situation where she can "go it alone" with the aid of a sperm donor.

From BBC

Related Words

• berry
• corn
• egg
• grain
• nut