seminal vesicle
1
7.2
- noun
- /ˈsɛmɪnəl ˈvɛsɪkəl/
- Specialized
:
vesícula seminal
- Locate the seminal vesicle here, the ejaculatory ducts here.
Examples
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I can show you how to access the seminal vesicles via the rectum without upsetting the vas deferens.
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Additionally, a large quantity of spermatophores were collected from the seminal vesicles, sectioned, and found to contain low densities of mature spermatozoa.
Academic text (1994) -
The seminal vesicles are responsible for producing a fluid that provides nourishment to sperm during ejaculation.
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During a medical examination, the doctor checked the health of the seminal vesicles to ensure normal reproductive function.
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In men, the seminal vesicles and the prostate gland work together to produce the majority of the fluid in semen.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The term is compositionally built from 'seminal' (pertaining to semen) and 'vesicle' (a small bladder- or sac-like structure containing fluid), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it denotes a gland/sac that produces seminal fluid. This is a descriptive biomedical compound that follows regular adj+noun composition and has clear cross-linguistic equivalents, making its meaning predictable.
Etymology
The name seminal vesicle comes from words meaning 'seed' and a 'little sac', with seminal meaning 'seed' and vesicle meaning 'little sac'. These two glands are like small sacs that make and hold fluid that becomes part of semen, so the name shows what they do.