spore
noun
verb (used without object), spored, spor·ing.
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Origin of spore
OTHER WORDS FROM spore
sporal, adjectivesporoid, adjectivein·ter·spor·al, adjectiveDefinition for spore (2 of 2)
WORDS THAT USE -SPORE
What does -spore mean?
The combining form -spore is used like a suffix meaning “spore.” It is often used in scientific terms, especially in biology.
The form -spore ultimately comes from the Greek sporá, meaning “sowing” and “seed.” Sporadic, meaning “occasional,” comes from the related Greek adjective sporadikós. Find out what sporadic has to do with seeds at our entry.
What are variants of –spore?
When used at the beginning of a word, as a prefix, -spore becomes spor-, spori-, or sporo-, as in sporocyst. A variant suffix used to create adjectives from nouns is –sporous, as in acrosporous, from acrospore.
Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for spor-, spori-, sporo-, and -sporous.
Examples of -spore
One example of a term from biology that features the combining form -spore is microspore, “the smaller of the two kinds of spores characteristically produced by seed plants and some fern allies.” It can also refer to “a pollen grain.”
The micro- portion of the word may look familiar; it means “small,” from Greek mīkrós. As we have seen, -spore means “spore” or “seed.” Microspore literally translates to “small spore” or “small seed.”
What are some words that use the combining form –spore?
What are some other forms that -spore may be commonly confused with?
Example sentences from the Web for spore
British Dictionary definitions for spore
noun
verb
Word Origin for spore
Medical definitions for spore
n.
Other words from spore
spo•ra′ceous (spə-rā′shəs, spô-) adj.Scientific definitions for spore
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.