SEX CELL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sex cell mean? 

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

1. a spermatozoon or an ovum; a cell responsible for transmitting DNA to the next generation

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

 Dictionary entry details 

• SEX CELL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A spermatozoon or an ovum; a cell responsible for transmitting DNA to the next generation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

germ cell; reproductive cell; sex cell

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

cell ((biology) the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms; they may exist as independent units of life (as in monads) or may form colonies or tissues as in higher plants and animals)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sex cell"):

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

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

genital system; reproductive system (organs and tissues involved in the production and maturation of gametes and in their union and subsequent development as offspring)

 Context examples 

Gametes, also known as sex cells or germ cells, are the cells that come together during fertilization or conception in organisms that reproduce sexually.

(Germ cell, NCI Thesaurus)