sperm

Examples

• All

• They release millions of eggs and sperm all at the same time once a year.

• As long as viable cryopreserved sperm or embryos remain stored, genes do not die with the animal.

  Academic text (1997)

• Where did this sperm come from?

  Look Who's Talking (1989)

• The process of bringing sperm to egg, right?

  Andrew Huberman

• So if there was sperm, you know, there had to be eggs.

• It's the test results from the sperm sample...

  Angel Blade (2002)

• When a person wanted to get pregnant, they would find a sperm donor.

  Captain Faggotron Saves the Universe (2023)

• And banking sperm is much easier than banking eggs.

• So there are different needs if you have sperm versus if you have eggs.

  Hank Green

• Many, many people have kids through donor sperm and donor eggs.

Synonyms

S

sperm cell

vssperm

4 3.5

A male cell that joins a female egg to make a baby

is the common short name used in everyday language

G

gamete

vssperm

• Specialized

3 7.9

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

is the specific male cell rather than a general sexual cell

S

spermatozoon

vssperm

• Specialized

2 9.6

A male sex cell that swims to fertilize an egg

is a less technical everyday term for the same motile cell

R

reproductive cell

vssperm

• Specialized

1 3.4

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

is specifically the male genetic cell, not general breeding cells

S

sex cell

vssperm

• Specialized

1 4.1

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

is the male version of this broader category

S

spermatozoid

vssperm

• Specialized

1 9.9

A moving male cell in plants like ferns that fertilizes eggs

is the same breeding cell type but refers to animals rather than plants

S

spermatozoan

vssperm

• Specialized

1 9.9

A male sex cell that swims and can fertilize an egg

is used more commonly and less formal than this scientific name

Compounds

S

sperm bank

20 3.7

A place that collects and stores sperm for later use to help people have a baby

S

sperm donor

17 3.6

A man who gives sperm to help someone have a baby

S

sperm count

15 3.5

The amount of sperm in semen used to check male fertility

S

sperm whale

5 3.7

A very large whale with a huge head and big teeth that lives in deep oceans

S

sperm cell

4 3.5

A male cell that joins a female egg to make a baby

S

sperm oil

• Archaic

1 9.9

A pale oil from sperm whales used long ago to light lamps and oil machines

D

dwarf sperm whale

• Specialized

1 7.7

A very small sperm whale that lives in warm and cool seas and grows to about 8 feet long

P

pygmy sperm whale

1 8.2

A small sperm whale that lives in warm ocean waters

Surface Forms

Etymology