spermatozoid

American  

[spur-muh-tuh-zoh-id, spur-mat-uh-] / ˌspɜr mə təˈzoʊ ɪd, spɜrˌmæt ə- /

noun

Botany, Mycology.

1. a motile male gamete produced in an antheridium.

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spermatozoid British  

/ ˌspɜːmətəʊˈzəʊɪd /

noun

1. botany another name for antherozoid

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spermatozoid Scientific  

/ spər-măt′ə-zō′ĭd /

1. A male reproductive cell produced in an antheridium, as in algae, fungi, and nonflowering plants. Each spermatozoid has cilia that propel it toward the archegonium.

2. Also called antherozoid

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Etymology

Origin of spermatozoid

First recorded in 1855–60; spermatozo(on) + -id ¹

Example Sentences

Fertilization is effected by the passage of a spermatozoid, attracted probably by means of a chemical stimulus, down the passage of the archegonial neck and its fusion with the ovum.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various

Other adaptations concern the protection of the sexual organs and sporogonia, and the retention of water in the neighbourhood of the archegonia to enable the spermatozoid to reach the ovum.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various

The spermatozoid swims by means of its tail to meet the egg.

From The Sexual Question A Scientific, psychological, hygienic and sociological study by Forel, Auguste

Each spermatozoid contains all the energies of the paternal and maternal ancestry of man, and each egg those of the paternal and maternal ancestry of woman.

From The Sexual Question A Scientific, psychological, hygienic and sociological study by Forel, Auguste

In Coleochæte, the male cell is a round spermatozoid, and the female cell an oosphere contained in the base of a cell which is elongated into an open and hair-like tube called the trichogyne.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 531, March 6, 1886 by Various