SPERM

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does sperm mean? 

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

1. the male reproductive cell; the male gamete

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

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPERM (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" is a kind of...):

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

Meronyms (parts of "sperm"):

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" 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)

Derivation:

spermatic; spermous (consisting of or resembling spermatozoa)

 Context examples 

However, the proportion of sperm DNA fragmentation—broken DNA in the sperm—was higher in the supplement group (29.7%), compared to the placebo group (27.2%).

(Zinc, folic acid supplement does not improve male fertility, National Institutes of Health)

A type of cancer that begins in cells that form sperm or eggs.

(Nonseminoma, NCI Dictionary)

The study team found no statistically significant differences in sperm concentration, mobility, shape and DNA quality between the placebo and antioxidant groups after three months.

(Antioxidant supplements do not improve male fertility, National Institutes of Health)

If they occur in cells that make eggs or sperm, they can be inherited; if mutations occur in other types of cells, they are not inherited.

(Mutation, NCI Dictionary)

A group of testicular cancers that begin in the germ cells (cells that give rise to sperm).

(Non-Seminomatous Lesion, NCI Dictionary)

Almost all chorioblastomas form in the uterus after fertilization of an egg by a sperm, but a small number form in a testis or an ovary.

(Chorioblastoma, NCI Dictionary)

The authors added that some studies have indicated that obesity could affect the expression of genes in sperm.

(Parental obesity linked to delays in child development, National Institutes of Health)

The artificial activation of an egg in the absence of a sperm; the egg begins to divide as if it has been fertilized.

(Parthenogenesis, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

If an egg is fertilized by a sperm, a pregnancy can result.

(Ovarian Disorders, NIH)

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)