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acrosome

[ ak-ruh-sohm ]
/ ˈæk rəˌsoʊm /
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noun Cell Biology.
an organelle covering the head of animal sperm and containing enzymes that digest the egg cell coating, thus permitting the sperm to enter the egg.
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Origin of acrosome

1895–1900; <German Akrosoma;see acro-, -some3

OTHER WORDS FROM acrosome

ac·ro·so·mal, adjective

Words nearby acrosome

acropathy, acropetal, acrophobia, acrophony, acropolis, acrosome, acrospire, acrospore, across, across-the-board, acrostic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use acrosome in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for acrosome

acrosome
/ (ˈækrəˌsəʊm) /
noun
a cap-like structure on the tip of a spermatozoon that releases enzymes on encountering the ovum allowing fusion with the ovum in the sexual reproductive process; this part of the process is known as the acrosome reaction

Word Origin for acrosome

C19: from acro- + -some ³
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
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