gamete

[ gam-eet, guh-meet ]
See synonyms for gamete on Thesaurus.com
nounBiology.
  1. a mature sexual reproductive cell, as a sperm or egg, that unites with another cell to form a new organism.

Origin of gamete

1
1885–90; <New Latin gameta<Greek gamet- (stem of gametḗ wife, gamétēs husband), derivative of gameîn to marry

Other words from gamete

  • ga·met·ic [guh-met-ik], /gəˈmɛt ɪk/, ga·me·tal [guh-meet-l], /gəˈmit l/, adjective
  • ga·met·i·cal·ly, adverb

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How to use gamete in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gamete

gamete

/ (ˈɡæmiːt, ɡəˈmiːt) /


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

Origin of gamete

1
C19: from New Latin, from Greek gametē wife, from gamos marriage

Derived forms of gamete

  • gametal or gametic (ɡəˈmɛtɪk), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for gamete

gamete

[ gămēt′ ]


  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. Also called germ cell reproductive cell, sex cell See Note at mitosis.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for gamete

gamete

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

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