sperm
/spəːm
/noun (plural same or sperms)
1 [mass noun] Semen.If there is a problem with the male partner sperm, then sperm from an anonymous donor may be used....
- Males taking thalidomide should not donate sperm or blood.
- It's those bad boys swinging away down low that produce the two things - testosterone and sperm - that determine what kind of man you are.
1.1 [count noun] A spermatozoon.Hennig is now doing research into how DNA works in the cell after connection of sperms and eggs....
- Fertility scientists like Trounson say it is only a matter of time before the technique is also used to develop sperm and eggs cells, making infertility a thing of the past.
- In the sex cells, the sperms and eggs, chromosomes come in singles.
2 short for sperm whale.They claim that after 15 years, many species of whale, particularly the minke and the sperm, have recovered sufficiently so that as many as a couple of thousand a year can be sustainably harvested.
2.1 [mass noun] short for spermaceti or sperm oil.
Origin
Late Middle English: via late Latin from Greek sperma 'seed', from speirein 'to sow'.