Jump to:

• spore
  spore

  noun

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

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

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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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

---

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.

---

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; see 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

“We’re looking at this, just scratching the surface right now,” said Heather Spore, environmental policy analyst for Swinomish, who’s served on the incident response team.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 26, 2023

Pre-incubated mushroom grow kits, such as those made by Back to the Roots and North Spore, are a great way for beginners like myself to get acquainted with the procedure.

From Washington Times • Dec. 5, 2023

Gormley, 34, began growing fungi at home during the pandemic, using kits from North Spore and other companies, including San Francisco Bay Area-based Far West Fungi.

From Washington Post • Apr. 13, 2023

He helped care for Hambleton in his last years and, with his wife, Heather Spore Kelly, helped him put up a last show in Midtown.

From New York Times • Oct. 20, 2021

Spore: a small body formed by a fungus to reproduce the fungus.

From Agriculture for Beginners Revised Edition by Burkett, Charles William

Related Words

• berry
• corn
• egg
• grain
• nut