What does spermatozoa mean?
Spermatozoa is the plural of spermatozoon, the singular term for a male reproductive cell produced by the testes of an animal. Each spermatozoon contains a haploid set of chromosomes and carries the genetic information needed to combine with a female gamete during fertilization. The cells are motile, and in many animals they propel themselves using a whip-like flagellum; some species instead use other specialized structures. Scientific and medical writing uses “spermatozoa” when it refers precisely to the cells, particularly in discussions of fertility, semen analysis, assisted reproduction, and laboratory testing. Ordinary speech usually uses the simpler collective term “sperm,” but that word can refer either to the cells or to the seminal fluid that contains them. Because the distinction can matter technically, dictionaries and clinical literature preserve the more exact plural “spermatozoa.”
plural nounSpermatozoa are the motile male reproductive cells of animals, each of which carries a male haploid genome and is capable of fertilizing a female gamete. The singular form is spermatozoon.
- The individual motile male reproductive cells of animals, produced in the testes and used to fertilize ova.
- In microscopy or laboratory contexts, spermatozoa may refer collectively to the cells observed in a semen sample.
"The spermatozoa swim through the female reproductive tract toward the egg."
"Only one of the spermatozoa reached and penetrated the egg."
"The laboratory reported that the semen sample contained very few motile spermatozoa."
Spermatozoa is already plural; its singular form is spermatozoon.
"The analysis measured the number and movement of spermatozoa in the sample."
A spermatozoon is singular, but spermatozoa is plural—and the ending “-zoa” reveals its zoological Greek ancestry.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does spermatozoa come from?
The term comes from New Latin spermatozoon, formed from Greek spermat-, meaning “seed,” and -zoon, meaning “animal” or “living organism.” Its plural spermatozoa was formed with the regular scientific Latin plural ending -a. The word belongs to a family of biological terms derived from Greek sperma, “seed,” including spermatogenesis and spermatocyte.
Related word forms
How spermatozoa is actually used
This is a specialized biological term used mainly in scientific, medical, and laboratory contexts. In general usage, “sperm” is more common; “spermatozoa” is preferred when the individual cells, rather than semen itself, are meant.
Easily confused with spermatozoa
Sperm is the ordinary collective term for semen or for male reproductive cells, whereas spermatozoa specifically denotes the individual cells.
Spermatozoa are the complete male reproductive cells of animals, while a spermatozoid is the smaller, motile male reproductive unit produced by plants, algae, and some fungi.