spore
Biology. a walled, single- to many-celled, reproductive body of an organism, capable of giving rise to a new individual either directly or indirectly.
a germ, germ cell, seed, or the like.
to bear or produce spores.
Origin of spore
1Other words from spore
- sporal, adjective
- sporoid, adjective
- in·ter·spor·al, adjective
Other definitions for -spore (2 of 2)
variant of sporo-, as final element of compound words: teliospore.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use spore in a sentence
As a result of the small size of the spores, anthrax is virtually impossible to see, smell, or taste.
All of us inhale a few dozen spores every day and are no worse for wear.
Contamination Seen as Cause for New Meningitis Outbreak in Five States | Kent Sepkowitz | October 4, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTMight Stevens have encountered spores of Bacillus anthracis during a recent hike through woods in North Carolina?
Ultrafiltration membranes remove more than 99 percent of bacteria, molds, and spores from drinking water, and can be used at home.
On certain of the stems the fertile cone appears and the spores are ripened about June, after which the process withers.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard Bastin
With the dispersal of the spores the cone shrivels up, and then the stems starts to send out green branches.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard BastinTypical "segmenters" present a ring of rounded segments or spores, each with a small, dot-like chromatin mass.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddThey consist of a more or less dense network of hyph and numerous round or oval refractive spores.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddThe earliest forms of which we have any knowledge were flowerless plants, which produced minute spores instead of seeds.
Gospel Philosophy | J. H. Ward
British Dictionary definitions for spore
/ (spɔː) /
a reproductive body, produced by bacteria, fungi, various plants, and some protozoans, that develops into a new individual. A sexual spore is formed after the fusion of gametes and an asexual spore is the result of asexual reproduction
a germ cell, seed, dormant bacterium, or similar body
(intr) to produce, carry, or release spores
Origin of spore
1Collins 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 spore
[ spôr ]
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.
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 © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for spore
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 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.
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