Definition of Spermatozoon

1. Noun. The male reproductive cell; the male gamete. "A sperm is mostly a nucleus surrounded by little other cellular material"

Exact synonyms: Sperm, Sperm Cell, Spermatozoan
Terms within: Flagellum, Acrosome
Group relationships: Come, Cum, Ejaculate, Seed, Semen, Seminal Fluid, Male Reproductive System
Generic synonyms: Gamete
Derivative terms: Spermatic, Spermous

Definition of Spermatozoon

1. Noun. (cytology) The reproductive cell or gamete of the male, carried in semen, that fertilizes the ovum to produce the zygote. ¹

2. Noun. (alternative spelling of spermatozoon) ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Spermatozoon

1. [n -ZOA]

Medical Definition of Spermatozoon

1. Mature sperm cell (male gamete). This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology (11 Mar 2008)

Literary usage of Spermatozoon

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. A Treatise on Comparative Embryology by Francis Maitland Balfour (1880)
"THE spermatozoon. Although there is no doubt that the spermatozoon in most instances plays as important a part as the ovum in influencing the characters of ..."

2. Artificial Parthenogenesis and Fertilization by Jacques Loeb (1913)
"XXXII CAN AN EMBRYO DEVELOP FROM A spermatozoon? Leeuwenhoek, the discoverer of the spermatozoon, had the idea that it was the future embryo. ..."

3. A Treatise on Comparative Embryology by Francis Maitland Balfour (1885)
"THE spermatozoon. Although there is no doubt that the spermatozoon in most instances plays as important a part as the ovum in influencing the characters of ..."

4. The Dynamics of Living Matter by Jacques Loeb (1906)
"THE HEREDITARY EFFECTS OF THE spermatozoon AND EGG IN addition to the developmental effects, the spermatozoon has a hereditary effect, inasmuch as it ..."

5. The Development of the Chick: An Introduction to Embryology by Frank Rattray Lillie (1908)
"The spermatozoon, on the other hand, is relatively minute and capable of locomotion. ... The spermatozoon (Fig. 1) is an elongated flagellated cell in which ..."

6. A Treatise on Comparative Embryology by Francis Maitland Balfour (1880)
"THE spermatozoon. Although there is no doubt that the spermatozoon in most instances plays as important a part as the ovum in influencing the characters of ..."

7. A Treatise on Comparative Embryology by Francis Maitland Balfour (1880)
"THE spermatozoon. Although there is no doubt that the spermatozoon in most instances plays as important a part as the ovum in influencing the characters of ..."

8. The Cell in Development and Inheritance by Edmund Beecher Wilson (1896)
"74) this structure persists only a short time after the spermatozoon enters ... H. Entrance of the spermatozoon into a preformed depression. /. ..."

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