vas deferens

[vas def-uh-renz, -er-uh nz]

noun, plural va·sa de·fe·ren·ti·a

[vey-suh def-uh-ren-shee-uh, -shuh] /ˈveɪ sə ˌdɛf əˈrɛn ʃi ə, -ʃə/. Anatomy, Zoology.

the duct that transports the sperm from the epididymis to the penis.

Origin of vas deferens

First recorded in 1880–85, vas deferens is from the New Latin word vās dēferēns literally, ‘vessel for carrying off’. See vas, deferent²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for vas deferens

vas deferens

noun plural vasa deferentia (ˈveɪsə ˌdɛfəˈrɛnʃɪə)

anatomy the duct that conveys spermatozoa from the epididymis to the urethra

Word Origin for vas deferens

C16: from New Latin, from Latin vās vessel + deferēns, present participle of deferre to bear away

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

vas deferens in Medicine

vas deferens

[văs′ dĕf′ər-ənz, -ə-rĕnz′]

n. pl. vasa def•er•en•ti•a (dĕf′ə-rĕn′shē-ə)

The main secretory duct of the testicle, through which semen is carried from the epididymis to the prostatic urethra, where it ends as the ejaculatory duct.deferent duct spermatic duct spermiduct

vas deferens in Science

vas deferens

[văs′ dĕf′ə-rĕnz′]

Plural vasa deferentia (vā′zə dĕf′ə-rĕn′shē-ə)

Either of two ducts through which sperm passes from a testis to the outside of the body. In mammals, the vas deferens connects the testis to the urethra.