spermatocyte

[ spur-mat-uh-sahyt, spur-muh-tuh- ]

/ spɜrˈmæt əˌsaɪt, ˈspɜr mə tə- /

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noun Cell Biology.

a male germ cell (primary spermatocyte ) that gives rise by meiosis to a pair of haploid cells (secondary spermatocytes ) that give rise in turn to spermatids.

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Origin of spermatocyte

First recorded in 1885–90; spermato- + -cyte

OTHER WORDS FROM spermatocyte

sper·ma·to·cyt·al, adjective

Words nearby spermatocyte

spermaticide, spermatid, spermatium, spermato-, spermatocide, spermatocyte, spermatogenesis, spermatogenous, spermatogonium, spermatoid, spermatophore

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for spermatocyte

spermatocyte

/ (ˈspɜːmətəʊˌsaɪt) /

noun

zoology an immature male germ cell, developed from a spermatogonium, that gives rise, by meiosis, to four spermatids

botany a male germ cell that develops into an antherozoid

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

Scientific definitions for spermatocyte

spermatocyte

[ spər-măt′ə-sīt′ ]

A diploid cell that undergoes meiosis to form four spermatids, cells which then develop into sperm. See more at spermatogenesis.