sperm en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (General-American) audio
- /spɜːm/ (UK)
- /spɜɹm/ (US)
Etymology
From Middle English sperme, from Latin sperma, from Ancient Greek σπέρμα (spérma, “seed, semen”). Compare also Old French esperme, sparme.
Meanings
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(countable) The reproductive cell or gamete of the male; a spermatozoon.
In the Fall into the division of labor, Levi-Strauss sees the great hunters trading women to create the exogamous bonds of one hunting band with another. The egg is, but the sperm does. The tiny sperm may be furious in its activity, but its highway to the egg is paved by the alkaline trail set down by the Great Mother.
1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 80:However, in some men precum will contain sperm so adequate protection should be used to prevent pregnancy.
2024 June 11, Dr. Steve Chapman, “Is swallowing semen good for you?”, in Better2Know:Seeing the two little moving cells – the result of her egg and Luke's sperm – was incredible, and two very long weeks later the clinic confirmed I was pregnant.
2012 April 13, Sarah Whitehouse, The Guardian:“Female may accept the sperms of male that can catapult but deplete the sperms of male that can be easily caught by her,” he said.
2022 April 26, Megan Marples, “Tiny spider catapults to safety after mating to avoid sexual cannibalism”, in CNN:
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(slang, uncountable) Semen; the generative substance of male animals.
Other Nations there are, that never have use of fire; Others, whose sperme is of a blacke colour.
1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:Deer sperm was in used among the Romans as an aphrodisiac.
1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 227:
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(countable, uncountable) Sperm oil; whale oil from a sperm whale; spermaceti.
Holding his candle so that he could read the coffin plates, and so holding it that the sperm dropped in white patches which congealed as they touched the metal, he made assurance of Lucy’s coffin.
1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| sperms | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| sperm | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
angiosperm · spermy · sperm sack · spermiogenesis · spermatogenesis · monospermy · spermatorrhoea · spermidine · antisperm · asthenospermic · polyspermous · spermophagia · spermicide · -spermous · spermic · spermatheca · spermatozoal · spermlike · polyspermic · autosperm · sperm sac · spermatozoon · spermism · hematospermia · spermatid · spermicidal · spermogonium · spermatogenetic · spermaholic · spermist · chrysosperm · spermidium · sperm count · spermine · -spermic · zoosperm · spermhead · spermagonium · gymnospermous · polyspermy · spermatocyte · oligospermous · spermoplasm · spermous · Spermageddon · sperminator · spermatogonium · spermatorrhea · spermary · sperm whale · sperm bank · sperm cell · spermophyte · sperm morula · spermalege · gymnosperm · spermless · spermatic · spermarche · metasperm · polyspermia · tetraspermous · spermjacking · sperm-blossom · spermatogenous · supersperm · sperm blossom · spermophile · oosperm · spermatophyte · teratosperm · -spermia · sperm donor · perisperm · sperm ampulla · aquasperm · polysperm · spermatoid · allosperm · endosperm · monospermous
Hypernyms
gamete (reproductive cell)
Synonyms
milt (of fish) · seed · semen (generative substance) · sperm cell (reproductive cell) · spermatozoon (reproductive cell) · cum (generative substance)
Translations (184)
kk шәует (cell) · hi वीर्य (semen (fluid)) · ro smârcău (semen (fluid)) · ky сперма (semen (fluid)) · sw mbegu za kiume (semen (fluid)) · wa floû (semen (fluid)) · fa منی (semen (fluid)) · vi tinh dịch (semen (fluid)) · ga speirm (semen (fluid)) · hu mag (cell) · it spermaceti (sperm oil, spermaceti) · ko 정자 (cell) · hu sperma (semen (fluid)) · cs semeno (semen (fluid)) · hi शुक्र (semen (fluid)) · tr döl (semen (fluid)) · az toxum (semen (fluid)) · az sperma (semen (fluid)) · ar نُطْفَة (cell) · pt esperma (semen (fluid)) · tg манӣ (semen (fluid)) · ro smecleu (semen (fluid)) · is sæðisfruma (cell) · cy sberm (cell) · my သုက်ကောင် (semen (fluid)) · ar نُطْفَة (semen (fluid)) · fr semence (semen (fluid)) · ru молофья́ (semen (fluid)) · no sperm (semen (fluid)) · ms sperma (semen (fluid)) · uk спе́рма (semen (fluid)) · hu ondósejt (cell) · es esperma (semen (fluid)) · ms benih jantan (cell) · lo ນ້ຳແບ້ນ (semen (fluid)) · fi siittiö (cell) · hu spermium (cell) · kl peersaq (semen (fluid)) · mn салай (semen (fluid)) · fi spermaseettiöljy (sperm oil, spermaceti) · zlw-ocs chám (semen (fluid)) · shn ၼမ်ႉၸိူဝ်ႉ (semen (fluid)) · sk sperma (semen (fluid)) · hy սպերմա (semen (fluid)) · ps مني (semen (fluid)) · fi siemenneste (semen (fluid)) · sh сперма (semen (fluid)) · bcl kasit (semen (fluid)) · wa verzin (semen (fluid)) · sa रेतस् (semen (fluid)) · lo ພັນ (cell) · no sæd (semen (fluid)) · bg спе́рма (semen (fluid)) · ug مەنى (semen (fluid)) · ky эрендик (semen (fluid)) · ru сперматозо́ид (cell) · sk spermia (cell) · fi valaanrasve (sperm oil, spermaceti) · sv sädesvätska (semen (fluid)) · gu વીર્ય (semen (fluid)) · ka თესლი (semen (fluid)) · scn spirmatuzzuu (cell) · fi valaanöljy (sperm oil, spermaceti) · cs spermie (cell) · da sæd (cell) · da sperm (semen (fluid)) · lo ນ້ຳກາມ (semen (fluid)) · hy սպերմատոզոիդ (cell) · ms benih (cell) · cmn 精液 (semen (fluid)) · vi tinh trùng (cell) · km ទឹករាគ (semen (fluid)) · fa اسپرماتوزئید (cell) · bn বীর্য (semen (fluid)) · lo ອະສຸຈິ (semen (fluid)) · eo spermo (semen (fluid)) · it sperma (semen (fluid)) · kk шәует (semen (fluid)) · uz sperma (semen (fluid)) · ru спе́рма (semen (fluid)) · ko 정액 (semen (fluid)) · hi शुक्राणु (cell) · fr sperme (semen (fluid)) · pl sperma (semen (fluid)) · ar مَنْي (semen (fluid)) · mt isperma (semen (fluid)) · hy սերմ (semen (fluid)) · ja 精液 (semen (fluid)) · et seemnerakk (cell) · bg сперматозоид (cell) · tk döl (cell) · ur منی (semen (fluid)) · tk döl (semen (fluid)) · pl spermatozoid (cell) · la sperma (semen (fluid)) · sl sperma (semen (fluid)) · ro smahoz (semen (fluid)) · tl punlay (cell) · km ទឹកកាម (semen (fluid)) · bn শুক্রাণু (semen (fluid)) · hu ondó (semen (fluid)) · lv sperma (semen (fluid)) · mk сперма (semen (fluid)) · arz حيوان منوي (cell) · km មេជីវិតឈ្មោល (cell) · hy սերմնահեղուկ (semen (fluid)) · et sperma (semen (fluid)) · fi spermaseetti (spermaceti) (sperm oil, spermaceti) · eo spermatozoo (cell) · ja 精子 (cell) · wa simince (semen (fluid)) · kl anisooq (semen (fluid)) · yue 精液 (semen (fluid)) · ro spermă (semen (fluid)) · ba мәней (semen (fluid)) · pl spermacet (sperm oil, spermaceti) · fi valaanvaha (sperm oil, spermaceti) · pt espermatozoide (cell) · th ตัวอสุจิ (cell) · tr döl (cell) · no sperma (semen (fluid)) · nl spermacel (cell) · vi tinh binh (cell) · lt sėkla (semen (fluid)) · cmn 精子 (cell) · my သုက်ပိုး (semen (fluid)) · nan-hbl 精液 (semen (fluid)) · tl tamod (semen (fluid)) · mn дусал (semen (fluid)) · is sæði (semen (fluid)) · sq spermë (semen (fluid)) · sa शुक्र (semen (fluid)) · pl olbrot (sperm oil, spermaceti) · lt sperma (semen (fluid)) · el σπερματοζωάριο (cell) · th อสุจิ (cell) · de Samenzelle (cell) · az məni (semen (fluid)) · ba аталыҡ орлоғо (semen (fluid)) · km ទឹកក្អេក (semen (fluid)) · ka სპერმა (semen (fluid)) · ca esperma (semen (fluid)) · ms sperma (cell) · th สเปิร์ม (semen (fluid)) · ro spermatozoid (cell) · lv sēkla (semen (fluid)) · km កាវស (semen (fluid)) · tr sperm (semen (fluid)) · gv sheel (cell) · th สเปิร์ม (cell) · fr spermatozoïde (cell) · ur نطفہ (semen (fluid)) · uz maniy (semen (fluid)) · cs sperma (semen (fluid)) · be спе́рма (semen (fluid)) · he זֶרַע (semen (fluid)) · sv sperma (semen (fluid)) · he זרעון (cell) · bg спермацет (sperm oil, spermaceti) · fa نطفه (semen (fluid)) · nl sperma (semen (fluid)) · pl nasienie (semen (fluid)) · sh sperma (semen (fluid)) · wa spieme (semen (fluid)) · bg китова мас (sperm oil, spermaceti) · tg нутфа (semen (fluid)) · pl plemnik (cell) · tk sperma (semen (fluid)) · ta விந்து (semen (fluid)) · hy սերմնաբջիջ (cell) · ar حَيَوَان مَنَوِيّ (cell) · de Spermium (cell) · goh hīsamo (semen (fluid)) · hu hímivarsejt (cell) · th อสุจิ (semen (fluid)) · id sperma (semen (fluid)) · gv sheel (semen (fluid)) · es espermatozoide (cell) · el σπέρμα (semen (fluid)) · fi sperma (semen (fluid)) · scn sperma (semen (fluid)) · de Sperma (semen (fluid)) · ug سپېرما (semen (fluid)) · it spermatozoo (cell)