spermous

¹ American  

[spur-muhs] / ˈspɜr məs /

adjective

1. of the nature of or pertaining to sperm.

---

-spermous ² American  

1. variant of -spermal.

   gymnospermous.

---

spermous British  

/ ˈspɜːməs /

adjective

1. of or relating to the sperm whale or its products

2. another word for spermatic

---

Usage

What does -spermous mean? The combining form -spermous is used like a suffix to mean “of or relating to one who has seeds." It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in botany.The form -spermous ultimately comes from the Greek spérma, meaning “sperm” or “seed.” This root is combined with the suffix -ous, from the Latin -ōsus, meaning "possessing, full of" a given quality.What are variants of -spermous?A less common variant of -spermous is -spermal, as in angiospermal. Another variant of -spermous is -spermic, as in endospermic.The related form -sperm is used for nouns instead of adjectives.The forms sperm-, spermato-, and spermo- are also combining forms from Greek spérma that are variously used like prefixes to mean "sperm" or "seed."Want to learn more? Check out our Words That Use entries for each of these seven forms.

Other Word Forms

• multispermous adjective

Etymology

Origin of spermous¹

First recorded in 1815–25; sperm ¹ + -ous

Origin of -spermous¹

< Greek -spermos, adj. derivative of spérma; sperm ¹