Part 637

Spermaceti whale (Zoöl.), the sperm whale.

Sper"mal*ist (?), n. (Biol.) See Spermist.

Sper"ma*phore (?), n. [Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?; sperm + &?;&?;&?;&?; to bear.] (Bot.) That part of the ovary from which the ovules arise; the placenta.

Sper"ma*ry (?), n. (Anat.) An organ in which spermatozoa are developed; a sperm gland; a testicle.

||Sper`ma*the"ca (?), n.; pl. Spermathecæ (#). [NL., from Gr. ||&?;&?;&?;&?; seed + &?;&?;&?;&?; case, or receptacle.] (Zoöl.) A ||small sac connected with the female reproductive organs of insects ||and many other invertebrates, serving to receive and retain the ||spermatozoa.

Sper*mat"ic (?), a. [L. spermaticus, Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;: cf. F. spermatique. See Sperm.] (Physiol.) Of or pertaining to semen; as, the spermatic fluid, the spermatic vessels, etc.

Spermatic cord (Anat.), the cord which suspends the testicle within the scrotum. It is made up of a connective tissue sheath inclosing the spermatic duct and accompanying vessels and nerves.

Sper"mat"ic*al (?), a. Spermatic.

Sper"ma*tin (?), n. (Physiol. Chem.) A substance allied to alkali albumin and to mucin, present in semen, to which it is said to impart the mucilaginous character.

Sper"ma*tism (?), n. (Physiol.) The emission of sperm, or semen.

||Sper*ma"ti*um (?), n.; pl. Spermatia (#). [NL.] (Bot.) One of the ||motionless spermatozoids in the conceptacles of certain fungi. J. H. ||Balfour.

Sper"ma*tize (?), v. i. [Gr. &?;&?;&?;. See Sperm.] To yield seed; to emit seed, or sperm. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

{ Sper"ma*to- (?), Sper"mo- (?) }. Combining forms from Gr. spe`rma, -atos, seed, sperm, semen (of plants or animals); as, spermatoblast, spermoblast.

Sper"ma*to*blast (?), n. Same as Spermoblast.

Sper"ma*to*cyte (?), n. [Spermato- + Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?; a hollow vessel.] (Physiol.) Same as Spermoblast.

Sper`ma*to*gem"ma (?), n. [NL. See Spermato-, and Gemma.] (Physiol.) Same as Spermosphere.

Sper`ma*to*gen"e*sis (?), n. [Spermato- + genesis.] (Biol.) The development of the spermatozoids.

Sper`ma*to*ge*net"ic (?), a. (Physiol.) Relating to, or connected with, spermatogenesis; as, spermatogenetic function.

Sper`ma*tog"e*nous (?), a. [Spermato- + -genous.] (Physiol.) Sperm- producing.

||Sper`ma*to*go"ni*um (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;, &?;&?;&?;, ||sperm + &?;&?;&?; offspring.] (Physiol.) A primitive seminal cell, ||occuring in masses in the seminal tubules. It divides into a mass ||(spermosphere) of small cells (spermoblast), which in turn give rise ||to spermatozoids.

Sper"ma*toid (?), a. [Spermato- + -oid.] (Physiol.) Spermlike; resembling sperm, or semen.

||Sper`ma*to"ön (?), n.; pl. Spermatoa (#). [NL., fr. Gr. spe`rma, ||-atos, seed + &?;&?;&?; an egg.] (Anat.) A spermoblast. -- ||Sper`ma*to"al (#), a. Owen.

Sper"ma*to*phore (?), n. [Spermato- + Gr. &?;&?;&?; to bear.] 1. (Physiol.) Same as Spermospore.

2. (Zoöl.) A capsule or pocket inclosing a number of spermatozoa. They are present in many annelids, brachiopods, mollusks, and crustaceans. In cephalopods the structure of the capsule is very complex.

Sper`ma*toph"o*rous (?), a. (Physiol.) Producing seed, or sperm; seminiferous; as, the so-called spermatophorous cells.

{Sper`ma*tor*rhe"a, Sper`ma*tor*rhœ"a, (&?;) }, n. [NL., fr. Gr. spe`rma, - atos, seed + &?;&?;&?; to flow.] (Med.) Abnormally frequent involuntary emission of the semen without copulation.

Sper"ma*to*spore (?), n. Same as Spermospore.

Sper`ma*to*zo"id (?), n. [Spermatozoön + Gr. &?;&?;&?; form.] (Biol.) The male germ cell in animals and plants, the essential element in fertilization; a microscopic animalcule-like particle, usually provided with one or more cilia by which it is capable of active motion. In animals, the familiar type is that of a small, more or less ovoid head, with a delicate threadlike cilium, or tail. Called also spermatozoön. In plants the more usual term is antherozoid.