Dictionary.com

gamete

[ gam-eet, guh-meet ]
/ ˈgæm it, gəˈmit /
See synonyms for gamete on Thesaurus.com

noun Biology.

a mature sexual reproductive cell, as a sperm or egg, that unites with another cell to form a new organism.

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Origin of gamete

1885–90; <New Latin gameta<Greek gamet- (stem of gametḗ wife, gamétēs husband), derivative of gameîn to marry

OTHER WORDS FROM gamete

ga·met·ic [guh-met-ik], /gəˈmɛt ɪk/, ga·me·tal [guh-meet-l], /gəˈmit l/, adjectivega·met·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby gamete

gamesmanship, gamesome, gamester, gamet-, gametangium, gamete, gamete intrafallopian transfer, game that two can play, that's a, game theory, gameto-, gametocide
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to gamete

seed, egg, spore, oosphere, egg cell

Example sentences from the Web for gamete

British Dictionary definitions for gamete

gamete
/ (ˈɡæmiːt, ɡəˈmiːt) /

noun

a haploid germ cell, such as a spermatozoon or ovum, that fuses with another germ cell during fertilization

Derived forms of gamete

gametal or gametic (ɡəˈmɛtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for gamete

C19: from New Latin, from Greek gametē wife, from gamos marriage
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

Medical definitions for gamete

gamete
[ găm′ēt′, gə-mēt′ ]

n.

A reproductive cell having the haploid number of chromosomes, especially a sperm or egg capable of fusing with a gamete of the opposite sex to produce a fertilized egg.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for gamete

gamete
[ găm′ēt′ ]

A cell whose nucleus unites with that of another cell to form a new organism. A gamete contains only a single (haploid) set of chromosomes. Animal egg and sperm cells, the nuclei carried in grains of pollen, and egg cells in plant ovules are all gametes. Also called germ cell reproductive cell, sex cell See Note at mitosis.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for gamete

gamete

A reproductive cell having a single set of chromosomes, especially a mature sperm or egg.

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.