sperm
verbEtymology From Middle English sperme, from Latin sperma, from Ancient Greek σπέρμα (spérma, “seed, semen”). Compare also Old French esperme, sparme.
sperm
nounUS /spɜɹm/ · UK /spɜːm/
Etymology From Middle English sperme, from Latin sperma, from Ancient Greek σπέρμα (spérma, “seed, semen”). Compare also Old French esperme, sparme.
1
The reproductive cell or gamete of the male; a spermatozoon.
- In the Fall into the division of labor, Levi-Strauss sees the great hunters trading women to create the exogamous bonds of one hunting band with another. The egg is, but the sperm does. The tiny sperm may be furious in its activity, but its highway to the egg is paved by the alkaline trail set down by the Great Mother.1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 80:
- Seeing the two little moving cells – the result of her egg and Luke's sperm – was incredible, and two very long weeks later the clinic confirmed I was pregnant.2012 April 13, Sarah Whitehouse, The Guardian:
2 more examples
- “Female may accept the sperms of male that can catapult but deplete the sperms of male that can be easily caught by her,” he said.2022 April 26, Megan Marples, “Tiny spider catapults to safety after mating to avoid sexual cannibalism”, in CNN:
- However, in some men precum will contain sperm so adequate protection should be used to prevent pregnancy.2024 June 11, Dr. Steve Chapman, “Is swallowing semen good for you?”, in Better2Know:
2
Slang Semen; the generative substance of male animals.
- Other Nations there are, that never have use of fire; Others, whose sperme is of a blacke colour.1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
- Deer sperm was in used among the Romans as an aphrodisiac.1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 227:
3
Chemistry, Natural sciences, Physical sciences Sperm oil; whale oil from a sperm whale; spermaceti.
- Holding his candle so that he could read the coffin plates, and so holding it that the sperm dropped in white patches which congealed as they touched the metal, he made assurance of Lucy’s coffin.1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula:
- Synonyms
- cum, semen, spermatozoon, sperm cell, milt, seed
- Derived terms
79 terms
allosperm, angiosperm, antisperm, aquasperm, asthenospermic, autosperm, chrysosperm, endosperm, gymnosperm, gymnospermous, hematospermia, metasperm, monospermous, monospermy, oligospermous, oosperm, perisperm, polysperm, polyspermia, polyspermic, polyspermous, polyspermy, Spermageddon, spermaholic, spermalege, sperm ampulla, spermarche, spermary, spermatheca, spermatic, spermatid, spermatocyte, spermatogenesis, spermatogenetic, spermatogenous, spermatogonium, spermatoid, spermatophyte, spermophyte, spermatorrhea, spermatorrhoea, spermatozoal, spermatozoon, sperm bank, sperm-blossom, sperm blossom, sperm cell, sperm count, sperm donor, spermhead, -spermia, spermic, spermicidal, spermicide, spermidine, spermidium, sperminator, spermine, spermiogenesis, spermism, spermist, spermjacking, spermless, spermlike, sperm morula, spermogonium, spermagonium, spermophagia, spermophile, spermoplasm, spermous, sperm sac, sperm sack, sperm whale, spermy, supersperm, teratosperm, tetraspermous, zoosperm- Hypernyms
- gamete