gamete

American  

[gam-eet, guh-meet] / ˈgæm it, gəˈmit /

noun

Biology.

1. a mature sexual reproductive cell, as a sperm or egg, that unites with another cell to form a new organism.

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gamete British  

/ ɡəˈmɛtɪk, ˈɡæmiːt, ɡəˈmiːt /

noun

1. a haploid germ cell, such as a spermatozoon or ovum, that fuses with another germ cell during fertilization

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gamete Scientific  

/ găm′ēt′ /

1. A cell whose nucleus unites with that of another cell to form a new organism. A gamete contains only a single (haploid) set of chromosomes. Animal egg and sperm cells, the nuclei carried in grains of pollen, and egg cells in plant ovules are all gametes.

2. Also called germ cell reproductive cell, sex cell

3. See Note at mitosis

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gamete Cultural  

1. A reproductive cell having a single set of chromosomes, especially a mature sperm or egg.

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Other Word Forms

• gametal adjective
• gametic adjective
• gametically adverb

Etymology

Origin of gamete

1885–90; < New Latin gameta < Greek gamet- (stem of gametḗ wife, gamétēs husband), derivative of gameîn to marry

Compare meaning

How does gamete compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• gamete vs. zygote