SPERM CELL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sperm cell mean? 

• SPERM CELL (noun)
  The noun SPERM CELL has 1 sense:

1. the male reproductive cell; the male gamete

  Familiarity information: SPERM CELL used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPERM CELL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The male reproductive cell; the male gamete

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

sperm; sperm cell; spermatozoan; spermatozoon

Context example:

a sperm is mostly a nucleus surrounded by little other cellular material

Hypernyms ("sperm cell" is a kind of...):

gamete (a mature sexual reproductive cell having a single set of unpaired chromosomes)

Meronyms (parts of "sperm cell"):

flagellum (a lash-like appendage used for locomotion (e.g., in sperm cells and some bacteria and protozoa))

acrosome (a process at the anterior end of a sperm cell that produces enzymes to facilitate penetration of the egg)

Holonyms ("sperm cell" is a part of...):

come; cum; ejaculate; seed; semen; seminal fluid (the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract)

male reproductive system (the reproductive system of males)

 Context examples 

The DNA in germ cells (egg and sperm cells that join to form an embryo).

(germline DNA, NCI Dictionary)

A part of a sperm cell, also known as the middle piece, between the head and the tail consisting of the neck and connection piece.

(Body of the Spermatozoon, NCI Thesaurus)

Germ cells are egg cells in females and sperm cells in males.

(Germ cell, NCI Dictionary)

BRS3 may be required for sperm cell division, maturation, or function, or for regulation of endocrine processes and metabolism responsible for energy balance and adiposity.

(Bombesin-like Receptor 3, NCI Thesaurus)

They surround and nourish developing sperm cells.

(Murine Sertoli Cells, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Sperm cells (male reproductive cells) move from the testicles into the epididymis, where they finish maturing and are stored.

(Epididymis, NCI Dictionary)

"Our first study successfully demonstrated that the bots, modeled after sperm cells, could in fact swim," Saif said.

(Researchers build microscopic biohybrid robots propelled by muscles, nerves, National Science Foundation)

The germ cells, collectively as distinguished from the somatic cells or soma, are the reproductive cells of the body, specifically, either egg or sperm cells.

(Murine Germ Cells, NCI Thesaurus)