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gamete

gamete

4 7.9
A cell like a sperm or egg that joins another cell to make a new living thing
  • noun
  • /ˈɡæmiːt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : gameto
  • A sperm cell is one example of a gamete, which combines with an egg to create a new organism.
  • donor gametes
  • gametes and embryos
  • female gametes

They're this, the individuals that produce fewer, larger gametes or ova or eggs.

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Examples

  • Meiosis produces haploid gametes from diploid parental cells.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Unlike terrestrial animals, most marine creatures simply release their gametes into the sea, subjecting them to dilution and dispersal.

    Academic text (1991)
  • And the job of sex went to a special cell called the gamete, and those bodies became giant.

  • So if you think through what kind of gametes could we get out of this?

  • Well, what are the possible gametes that could emerge from this parent?

  • If you're the sex that makes only a few gametes, it matters a lot who you choose as a mate, right?

  • Females, in contrast, whose gametes are large and costly, will be much more selective than the males about their mates.

    Academic text (2003)
  • So we have these haploid gametes with frequencies P&Q.

  • Assisted reproductive technologies include any fertilization involving manipulation of gametes/embryos outside the human body and transfer of gametes/embryos into the body.

    Academic text (2007)
  • During reproduction, the female produces gametes that will eventually merge with male gametes.

Synonyms

germ cell
vsgamete
  • Specialized
1 5.8

Cell like a sperm or egg that carries genes to children

is a mature cell with one set of unpaired chromosomes that fuses with another
reproductive cell
vsgamete
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A cell like a sperm or egg that carries half the genes for a new life

is a mature cell with one set of unpaired chromosomes that fuses with another
sex cell
vsgamete
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A cell that joins another to make a new living thing, like sperm or egg

is a mature cell with one set of unpaired chromosomes that fuses with another

Surface Forms

gamete singular
gametes plural

Etymology

The word gamete comes from the Greek root gam- meaning 'marriage' or 'union', and you can see the same root in monogamy and polygamy, words about marriage. So a gamete is a sex cell that 'joins' with another, like a tiny marriage, to make a new organism.