epididymis

American  

[ep-i-did-uh-mis] / ˌɛp ɪˈdɪd ə mɪs /

noun

Anatomy.

plural

epididymides

1. an elongated organ on the posterior surface of a testis that stores sperm while they mature and constitutes the convoluted beginning of the vas deferens.

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epididymis British  

/ ˌɛpɪˈdɪdɪmɪs /

noun

1. anatomy a convoluted tube situated along the posterior margin of each testis, in which spermatozoa are stored and conveyed to the vas deferens

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Other Word Forms

• epididymal adjective

Etymology

Origin of epididymis

1600–10; < Greek epididymís; see epi-, didymous

Example Sentences

This had effects on the reproductive organs of the animals, including the epididymis.

From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2024

The epididymis is the area in the male reproductive system where freshly formed sperm mature.

From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2024

Once those RNA packages arrive at the epididymis, the hypothesis goes, they prompt a of cascade of changes at conception that evade the stripping, or rebooting, process and the subsequent reshuffling during early development.

From New York Times • Dec. 10, 2018

A complex network of small tubes—the seminiferous tubules—travel throughout the testicles, allowing the sperm to reach their next destination: the epididymis.

From Salon • Jul. 15, 2018

There is a relationship almost positive between the size of the tubules of the cauda epididymis and the length of the testes.

From Natural History of the Prairie Vole (Mammalian Genus Microtus) [KU. Vol. 1 No. 7] by Jameson, E. W.