spore

¹ American  

[spawr, spohr] / spɔr, spoʊr /

noun

1. Biology. a walled, single- to many-celled, reproductive body of an organism, capable of giving rise to a new individual either directly or indirectly.

2. a germ, germ cell, seed, or the like.

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verb (used without object)

spored, sporing

1. to bear or produce spores.

-spore ² American  

1. variant of sporo-, as final element of compound words.

   teliospore.

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spore British  

/ spɔː /

noun

1. a reproductive body, produced by bacteria, fungi, various plants, and some protozoans, that develops into a new individual. A sexual spore is formed after the fusion of gametes and an asexual spore is the result of asexual reproduction

2. a germ cell, seed, dormant bacterium, or similar body

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verb

1. (intr) to produce, carry, or release spores

spore Scientific  

/ spôr /

1. A usually one-celled reproductive body that can grow into a new organism without uniting with another cell. Spores are haploid (having only a single set of chromosomes). Fungi, algae, seedless plants, and certain protozoans reproduce asexually by spores. Plant spores that are dispersed by the wind have walls containing sporopollenin.

2. See more at alternation of generations

3. A similar one-celled body in seed-bearing plants; the macrospore or microspore. The macrospore of seed-bearing plants develops into a female gametophyte or megagametophyte, which is contained within the ovule and eventually produces the egg cells. (The megagametophyte is also called the embryo sac in angiosperms.) The microspore of seed-bearing plants develops into the male microgametophyte or pollen grain.

4. See endospore

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spore Cultural  

1. A reproductive cell or group of cells, produced by some plants, that is capable of developing into an adult plant without combining with another reproductive cell. Plants also produce sperm cells. The spores of nonflowering plants are analogous to the seeds of flowering plants. (See asexual reproduction; compare sexual reproduction.) Fungi and algae typically reproduce by means of spores that are carried by the wind or some other agency to a new location for growth.

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Usage

What does -spore mean? The combining form -spore is used like a suffix meaning “spore.”  It is often used in scientific terms, especially in biology. The form -spore ultimately comes from the Greek sporá, meaning “sowing” and “seed.” Sporadic, meaning "occasional," comes from the related Greek adjective sporadikós. Find out what sporadic has to do with seeds at our entry. What are variants of -spore?When used at the beginning of a word, as a prefix, -spore becomes spor-, spori-, or sporo-, as in sporocyst. A variant suffix used to create adjectives from nouns is -sporous, as in acrosporous, from acrospore. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for spor-, spori-, sporo-, and -sporous.

Other Word Forms

• intersporal adjective
• sporal adjective
• sporoid adjective

Etymology

Origin of spore

1830–40; < New Latin spora < Greek sporá sowing, seed, akin to speírein to sow; sperm ¹

Explanation

Spores are the seed-like cells that help some kinds of plants and bacteria to reproduce. Ferns and mosses reproduce using spores. Many plants reproduce by means of flowers, which make seeds. Most plants that don't produce seeds use spores to spread themselves around. Spores are microscopic, and plants like mosses and ferns make huge quantities of spores, which are blown around by the wind so they can grow in new places. Spore comes from the Greek spora, "seed-time" or "a sowing."

Example Sentences

His journey with the spore started in 2022, when he and colleague Andrew Luzmore began collaborating with Hill-Maini, identifying various kitchen waste streams that might be good candidates for fermentation.

From Salon • Nov. 12, 2024

Their framework reveals diverse functions -- such as excretion, venom spraying, prey hunting, spore dispersal, and plant guttation -- highlighting potential applications in soft robotics, additive manufacturing, and drug delivery.

From Science Daily • Mar. 11, 2024

For a mushroom to grow, a fungal spore has to set up shop on a surface and produce mycelia.

From New York Times • Feb. 12, 2024

IRVINE, Calif. — A drone flies over a peaceful Southern California marsh and unleashes a rain of larvae-killing bacterial spore pellets.

From Washington Times • Jun. 29, 2023

The spore expanded, split, and burst within the corrupted steel and shards of concrete that had formerly been walls.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Related Words

• berry
• corn
• egg
• grain
• nut