spermatozoic

Variant of spermatozoon

noun pl. spermatozoa

the male germ cell, found in semen, which penetrates the ovum, or egg, of the female to fertilize it: typically it consists of a head containing a large nucleus, a small midsection, and a whiplike tail used for locomotion

Origin: ModL < spermato- + Gr zōion, animal: see bio-

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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