sperm
noun/spɜːm/
/spɜːrm/
(plural sperm, sperms)
- [countable] a cell that is produced by the sex organs of a male and that can combine with a female egg to produce young
- He has a low sperm count (= very few live male cells).
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- donated
- frozen
- produce
- donate
- fertilize something
- cell
- count
- bank
- …
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- [uncountable] the liquid that is produced by the male sex organs that contains these cells synonym semenCollocations The living worldThe living worldAnimalsTopics Biologyc2
- animals mate/breed/reproduce/feed (on something)
- fish/amphibians swim/spawn (= lay eggs)
- birds fly/migrate/nest/sing
- insects crawl/fly/bite/sting
- insects/bees/locusts swarm
- bees collect/gather nectar/pollen
- spiders spin/weave a web
- snakes/lizards shed their skins
- bears/hedgehogs/frogs hibernate
- insect larvae grow/develop/pupate
- an egg/a chick/a larva hatches
- attract/find/choose a mate
- produce/release eggs/sperm
- lay/fertilize/incubate/hatch eggs
- inhabit a forest/a reef/the coast
- mark/enter/defend (a) territory
- stalk/hunt/capture/catch/kill prey
- trees/plants grow/bloom/blossom/flower
- a seed germinates/sprouts
- leaves/buds/roots/shoots appear/develop/form
- flower buds swell/open
- a fungus grows/spreads/colonizes something
- pollinate/fertilize a flower/plant
- produce/release/spread/disperse pollen/seeds/spores
- produce/bear fruit
- develop/grow/form roots/shoots/leaves
- provide/supply/absorb/extract/release nutrients
- perform/increase/reduce photosynthesis
- bacteria/microbes/viruses grow/spread/multiply
- bacteria/microbes live/thrive in/on something
- bacteria/microbes/viruses evolve/colonize something/cause disease
- bacteria break something down/convert something (into something)
- a virus enters/invades something/the body
- a virus mutates/evolves/replicates (itself)
- be infected with/contaminated with/exposed to a new strain of a virus/drug-resistant bacteria
- contain/carry/harbour bacteria/a virus
- kill/destroy/eliminate harmful/deadly bacteria
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- donated
- frozen
- produce
- donate
- fertilize something
- cell
- count
- bank
- …
Word Originlate Middle English: via late Latin from Greek sperma ‘seed’, from speirein ‘to sow’.
Check pronunciation:
sperm