sperm

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a male reproductive cell that can fertilize an egg cell

   A single sperm fused with the egg during fertilization.

2. 2
   noun

   semen, especially in informal or nontechnical use

   The laboratory tested the sperm for signs of infection.

3. 3
   noun

   historically, spermaceti or the oil and wax obtained from a sperm whale

   The candle was made from refined sperm that burned with a bright flame.

From Middle English sperme, through Latin sperma, from Greek sperma ('seed'), related to speirein ('to sow or scatter'). The reproductive sense continues the ancient seed metaphor. The historical oil-and-wax sense comes through sperm whale, whose spermaceti was once mistaken for the animal's seminal fluid.

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