spermatium

American  

[spur-may-shee-uhm] / spɜrˈmeɪ ʃi əm /

noun

• spermatia
  plural

1. Botany. the nonmotile male gamete of a red alga.

2. Mycology. a minute, colorless cell, of certain fungi and lichens, believed to be a male reproductive body, developed within spermogonia.

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spermatium British  

/ spɜːˈmeɪtɪəm /

noun

1. a nonmotile male reproductive cell in red algae and some fungi

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spermatium Scientific  

/ spər-mā′shē-əm /

• spermatia
  plural

1. A nonmotile cell in red algae and certain ascomycete fungi that functions as a male gamete.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• spermatia
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of spermatium

1855–60; < New Latin < Greek spermátion, equivalent to spermat- (stem of spérma ) sperm ¹ + -ion -ium

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spermatia

Like a powder-coated bee spreading pollen from plant to plant, isopods spread spermatia throughout a tide pool as they travel between seaweed clumps.

From Scientific American ● Jul. 28, 2022

They examined the isopods under a microscope and found that they had spermatia stuck to nearly every part of their bodies.

From New York Times ● Jul. 28, 2022

Its male gametes, or spermatia, lack flexible flagella to propel them through the water.

From Scientific American ● Jul. 28, 2022

Because Gracilaria gracilis produce spermatia that, like pollen grains, cannot move on their own, Dr. Valero wondered if the isopods might be playing a role in the spermatia’s dispersal.

From New York Times ● Jul. 28, 2022

Moreover, as yet no trace has been discovered of the female organs which are specially fecundated by the spermatia.

From Fungi: Their Nature and Uses by M. C. (Mordecai Cubitt) Cooke

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