spermatogemma 
spermatoblast. See also sprrinii.*iihere. Encyc. 
Brit., XX. 412. 
spermatogenesis (sper"ma-to-jen'e-sis). //. 
[NL., < Gr. aircp/ia(T-), seed, + yeveaif, origin.] 
In biol., the formation or development of sper- 
matozoa. Huxley ami Martin, Elementary Bi- 
ology, p. 301. 
spermatogenetic(sper' / ma-to-je-iiet'ik), . [< 
spermatogffnesis, after gnietic.'] Of or pertain- 
ing to spermatogenesis; exhibiting or charac- 
terized by spermatogenesis : as, a n}teriii(i/ni/i- 
i/i'/ic process or result ; a spermatoijenetictlieoTy. 
Encyc, Brit., XX. 412. 
speriuatogenous (sper-ma-toj'e-nus), a. [< Gr. 
airep/ia(T-), seed, + -ycfff, producing: see -ge- 
nous."] Producing spermatozoa. 
spermatogeny (sper-ma-toj'e-ni), n. [< Gr. 
amp/ia(r-), seed, + -yiveia, < -yevw, producing: 
see -geny.~] The generation or production of 
spermatozoa ; spermatogenesis. 
spermatogonium(sp6r"rna-to-g6'ni-um), n. ; pi. 
gpermatogonia (-a). [NL., < Gr. a-nippa^-), 
seed, + yovij, generation.] If. In hot., same 
as pycnidium, 1. 2. A primitive or formative 
seminal cell, forming a kind of sperm-morula, 
or spermosphere composed of spermatoblasts 
or spermatocytes, which in turn give rise to 
spermatozooids. La Valette St. George. 
spermatoid (sper'ma-toid), a. [< Gr. airtp- 
fia(T-), seed, + eliof, form.] Kesembling sperm, 
or male seed; sperm-like; of the nature of 
sperm; spermatic or seminal. 
spermatological (sper'ma-to-loj'i-kal), a. [< 
spertato1o</-y + -ic-al.~\ Of or pertaining to 
spermatology. Also spermological. 
spermatologist (sper-ma-tol'o-jist), n. [< sper- 
ma tolog-y + -ist.'] One who is versed in sper- 
matology. Also spcrmologist. 
spermatology (sper-ma-tol'o-ji), n. [< Gr. 
avepfta(T-), seed, + -fayia, < Myetv, speak: see 
-ology.} The doctrine or body of facts and 
opinions regarding sperm, semen, or the male 
elements of procreation, as those of spermato- 
genesis or spermatogeny. Also spermology. 
spermatomere (sper'ma-to-mer), n. [< Gr. 
oirep/ia(T-), seed, + /uepof, part.] One of the 
parts into which the male or female pronucleus 
of an ovum may divide after fertilization. 
Two of these "residual globules " are, according to them, 
expelled by the spermatvmeres during their nuclear meta- 
morphosis preceding division. 
Micros. Science, XXVL 597. 
spermatoont (sper-ma-to'on), n. ; pi. sperma- 
toa (-a). [< Gr. aTtep/ia(T-), seed, + fay, an 
egg.] The nucleus of a sperm-cell or sperma- 
tozoon ; a cell which stands in the relation of 
such a nucleus, as that out of or from which a 
spermatozoon may be developed ; a spermato- 
blast. 
Spermatophilus (sper-ma-tof'i-lus), . [NL. 
( Wagler, 1830), emended from Spermophilus.] 
Same as Spermophilus. 
spermatophoral (sper-ma-tof 'o-ral), a. [< sper- 
matophore + -al.~\ Of tne character of or per- 
taining to a spermatophore. Huxley and Mar- 
tin, Elementary Biology, p. 29L 
spermatophore (sper'ma-to-for), . [< Gr. 
<nteppa(T-), seed, + fyepeiv ='E. bear 1 .'] A spe- 
cial case, capsule, or sheath containing sperma- 
tozoa; specifically, one of the peculiar sper- 
matic cysts of cephalopoda (also called spermatic 
or seminal cartridge, seminal rope, or filament of 
Needham), usually forming a long cylindrical 
structure in which several envelops may be dis- 
tinguished. The contents of such a spermatophore 
are not exclusively seminal, for in the hinder part of each 
there is a special substance, the exploding mass, which 
serves to discharge the packet of spermatozoa. These are 
invested in a special tabular tunic, and packed in the front 
part of the spermatophore, like a charge of shot In a car- 
tridge in frontof thepowder. Behind this packet of sperm 
the exploding mass forms a spiral coil, which extends 
through the greater part of the spermatophore and is con- 
tinuous behind with the coat of the latter. When the 
spermatophore is wetted it swells up and bursts, through 
the force of the spring coiled inside, and the spermatozoa 
are discharged with considerable force. A spermatophore 
thus offers a striking analogy to the nematophore or 
thread-cell of a coelenterate, though the object attained is 
not urtication or nettling, but a seminal emission and con- 
sequent impregnation of the female. A spermatophore 
of some sort, less complex than that of cephalopods, is 
very commonly found in several classes of invertebrates. 
spermatophorous (sper-ma-tof'o-rus), a. [As 
spermatophorc + -oits.] Bearing or conveying 
seed, sperm, or spermatozoa; spermatogenous; 
seminiferous; specifically, bearing sperm as a 
spermatophore ; of or pertaining to a sperma- 
tophore; spermatophoral. 
spermatorrhea, spermatorrhoea (sper"ma-to- 
re'a), it. [NL. gptrmatorrkaa ; < Gr. airepiui(T-), 
5819 
Involuntary seminal 
seed, + peh>, flow, run.] 
loss. 
spermatospore (sper'niii-to-spor), . [< (Jr. 
aKcpfta(T-), seed, + mropuf, a sowing.] A kind 
of cell which gives rise to spermatozoa. Also 
x/nriiiospore. 
spermatotheca (sper"ma-to-the'kii), n. Same 
as */>r riitfithft'tt. 
spermatovum (sper-ma-to'vum), n.; pi. sper- 
matom (-va) [NL., < 'Gr. airtpt2a(T-), seed, + 
L. ovum, egg.] A fecundated egg; an ovum 
alter impregnation by spermatozoa, whence its 
substance consists of material from both pa- 
rents. Also spcrniovitm. 
Spermatozoa (sper"ma-to-z6'a), . pi. [NL., 
pi. of spermatozoon, q. v.] If. A supposed class 
or other group of animalcules ; sperm-animals : 
so called before their nature was known, when 
they were regarded as independent parasitic or- 
ganisms. 2. [i.e.] Plural of spermatozoon. 
spermatozoa! (sper'ma-to-zo'al), a. [< sper- 
matozoon + -a/.] Same as spermatozoon. 
spermatozoan (sper*ma-to-z6'an), a. and . [< 
spermatozoon + -an.] 1. a. Of the nature of a 
spermatozoon ; of or pertaining to spermatozoa. 
II. . A spermatozoon or spermatozooid. 
spermatozoic (sper"ma-to-zd'ik), a. [< sperma- 
tozoon + -ic.] Same as spermatozoan. 
spermatozoid (sper*ma-to-zd'id), a. and n. [< 
spermatozoon + -i<J2.] g ee spermatozooid. 
spermatozoidal (sper'ma-to-zo'i-dal), a. [< 
spermatozoon + -oid + -a/.] Same as spermato- 
zooid. W. B. Carpenter, Micros., $ 443. 
spermatozooid (sper'ma-to-zo'oid), a. and n. 
[< spermatozoon + -aid.] I. a. Resembling 
a spermatozoon ; 
of spermatozo- 
an nature or ap- 
pearance. 
II. n. 1. A 
spermatozoon. 
Von Siebold. 
Also, less com- 
monly, spermalo- 
zoid. See zooid. 
2. In lot., a 
male ciliated 
motile gamete 
produced in an 
antheridium: 
same as antltcr- 
ozoid. In this 
sense more commonly spermatozoid. 
cut under antheridium. 
spermatozoon (sper'ma-to-zo'on), n. ; pi. sper- 
matozoa (-a). [NL., < Gr. o-jr%i(r-), seed, + 
C'poi', an animal.] 1. One of the numberless 
microscopic bodies contained in semen, to 
which the seminal fluid owes its vitality, and 
which are the immediate and active means of 
impregnating or fertilizing the ovum of the fe- 
Spermatozooids of Atiiantun 
yrntris. 
See also 
r i L ji 
Spermatozoa. 
M four spermatozoa of man ; A, two of ape ; R, two of rabbit. In 
each case, I, broadest view, II, profile, of*, kernel or nucleus of the 
head, and m, filamentous body, ending in s, the long slender tail. 
male; a spermatic cell or filament; a spermato- 
zoan or spermatozooid. Spermatozoa are the vital 
and essential product of a spermary, male gonad, or testis, 
as ova are of the ovary or female gonad ; their production, 
or the ability to produce them, is the characteristic distinc- 
tion of the male from the female organism, whatever their 
size or shape or other physical character, and however vari- 
ous may be the organ in which they are produced. Sperma- 
tozoa, like ova, have the morphological value of the cell ; 
and a spermatozoon is usually a cell in which a cell-wall, 
cell-contents, and cell-nucleus, with or without a nucleo- 
lus, may be distinguished. The form may be spherical, like 
the ovum, and indistinguishable therefrom by any physical 
character; more frequently, and especially in the higher 
animals, these little bodies are shaped like a tadpole, with a 
sperm-kernel 
small spherical or dixiiidal head, rod-like or 
bacillur part, and a long slender tail or raiid:il lilaiin-iil, 
capable of spontaneous \ iliiatik 1 nio\rim'nts, by inc;iti^ ->f 
which the sni-nnatozoaswim actively in the seminal lluiil, 
like a shoal of micro king.inthe 
passages of tlie female into which the lln : nject- 
i'il. !o discover tiir oviiin in which to luiry itself, in op 
undergo dissolution in the substance of the ovum. They 
arc smaller than the corresponding' ovum, ami several 
or many of them may be embedded in one ovum. The 
actual union of spermatozoa with an ovum, und fusion of 
their respective protoplasms, is required for Impregnation, 
and Is the consummation of sexual intercourse, tu which 
all other acts and processes are simply ancillary or sub- 
servient. Spermatozoa may be killed by cold, or chemical 
or mechanical injury, like any other cells. Thcsr bodies, 
very similar to various animalcules, were discovcTed and 
named KpermatuyM by Leenwenhoek in K177 ; they were 
at first and long afterward regarded as Independent or- 
ganisms, variously classed as parasitic helminths or infti- 
sorians such a view being held, for instance, by Von Baer 
so late as 1827 or 1835. Von Siebold, who found tin n. in 
various vertebrates, called them epermaiuznnidi. Their 
true nature appears to have been first recognized by Kol- 
liker. Spermatozoa or their equivalents are diagnostic 
of the male sex under whatever conditions they exist, 
whether in male individuals separate from the female, or 
in those many hermaphrodite animals which unite the 
two sexes in one individual ; and the organ which pro- 
duces them Is Invariably a testis or its equivalent sper- 
mary, of whatever character. The male elements of the 
lowest animals, however, as Protozoa, do not ordinarily 
receive the name spermatozoa, this being specially ap- 
plied to the more elaborate male cells of the character 
above described. The origination of spermatozoa has of 
late years been the subject of much research and discus- 
sion ; the details of the process, as observed in different 
animals, or under different conditions of investigation, 
together with conflicting doctrinal conclusions, have oc- 
casioned a large special vocabulary. See many words 
preceding and following this one. 
2f. [cap.] A genus of animalcules. Fan Baer, 
1827. 
sperm-ball (sperm'bal), . A spherical cluster 
of spermatozoa, such as occurs in some sponges. 
Encyc. Brit., XXII. 424. 
sperm-blastoderm (sperm'blas'to-derm), n. A 
blastoderm ic layer of formative spermatozoa 
composing the surface of a sperm-blastula. 
sperm-blastula (sperm'blas'tu-la), . A sper- 
matic blastula, or hollow sphere whose surface 
is a layer of formative spermatozoa. 
Sperm-cell (sperm'sel), . 1. A spermatozoon : 
so called from its morphological valence as a 
cell. 2. A cell giving rise to spermatozoa; a 
spermatoblast or spermatocyte. 
spermet, An obsolete spelling of sperm 1 . 
Spermestes (sper-mes'tez), n. [NL. (Swain- 
son, 1837), said to be (irreg.) < Gr. am-ppa, seed, 
+ iaOieiv, eat.] The typical genus of Spermes- 
tinm, containing six or eight species confined to 
Africa and Madagascar. Such are S. cucullata, S. 
poensif, and S. tricolor, of the continent, and the Madagas- 
car S. mi mi. These little birds are closely related to Ama- 
dina, of which Spermestes is often rated as a subgenus. 
Spermestinae (sper-mes-ti'ne), n. pi. [NL., 
(Spermestes + -inse.] An. extensive subfamily 
of Ploceidx, named from the genus Spermestes. 
The very numerous species, about 160, are chiefly African 
and Asiatic, but some of them extend to Australia and va- 
rious Polynesian islands. Among them are the amada- 
vats and estrilds. Leading genera are Layonosticta, Sper- 
mospiza, Pyrenestes, Estrelda, and Amadina. See cut un- 
der Senegal. 
spermestine (sper-mes'tin), a. Of, or having 
characters of, the Spermestinee. 
spermic (sper'mik), a. [< sperm 1 + -tc.] Same 
as spermatic. 
spermidiumt (sper-mid'i-um), .; pi. spcrmidta 
(-a). [NL., < L. sperma, seed, germ, + -idium.~\ 
In bot., same as aclienium, 1. 
spermiduct (sper'mi-dukt), . [< L. sperma, 
sperm, + ductus, a duct: see duct. Cf. sper- 
maduct.'] A passage for the conveyance of 
sperm in the female of EchinorJiynclius. See 
the quotation. [Rare.] 
From the lower end of the ovarium [of the female of 
Echinorhynehus] two short oviducts, or rather spermi- 
ducts, arise, and almost immediately unite into a sort of 
uterus, which is continued into the vagina. 
Huxley, Anat. Invert., p. 555. 
spermin (sper'min), n. [< xperm 1 + -in 2 .] A 
non-poisonous alkaloid (C 2 H 5 N) obtained from 
sputum, human semen, organs of leucemic pa- 
tients, and alcoholic anatomical preparations. 
spermisnl (sper'mizm), . [< sperm 1 + -ixm.} 
The theory or doctrine that the male sperm 
contains the whole germ of the future animal, 
which develops entirely from a spermatozoon, 
the ovum serving merely as a mold or matrix ; 
animalculism. Also qiermatixm. 
spermist (sper'mist), n. [< sjtenii 1 + -ist.~\ One 
who holds the theory of spermism or sperma- 
tism; an animalculist : the opposite of miiHxt. 
See theory vfim-tisiment, under ineasement. Also 
spernmtint. 
sperm-kernel (sperm'ker"nel), . Same as sper- 
mococcus. 
