SPERM
What does "SPERM" mean?
The male reproductive cell of an animal, capable of fertilizing an egg.
Meanings
- The mature motile male sex cell, typically with a head and a propelling tail. Each sperm carries half of the genetic material needed to form an embryo. technical
- Semen, the fluid containing male reproductive cells. The clinic stores donated sperm in liquid nitrogen. informal
Did you know?
- A human sperm cell is among the smallest cells in the body - its head measures only about five micrometres, far tinier than the egg it races to reach.
- In 1677 Antonie van Leeuwenhoek became the first person to see living sperm, calling the wriggling cells 'animalcules' under his hand-ground lens.
Word origin
From Greek 'sperma' (seed), from 'speirein' (to sow), via Latin 'sperma' and Old French 'esperme' into English.
Remember it
SPERM hides 'PERM' - and the tail's wave is the cell's tiny perm in motion.
A little poem
Smallest of cells, a single oar,
it rows through dark toward one far shore-
half a person, and nothing more.
tercet
What it teaches
The smallest unit can still carry half of everything that comes next.
Quick facts
What does SPERM mean?
The male reproductive cell of an animal, capable of fertilizing an egg.
Is SPERM a valid word?
Yes — SPERM is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is SPERM?
SPERM has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does SPERM come from?
From Greek 'sperma' (seed), from 'speirein' (to sow), via Latin 'sperma' and Old French 'esperme' into English.
What can SPERM teach us?
The smallest unit can still carry half of everything that comes next.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.