spermatozoid Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun a motile male gamete of a plant such as an alga or fern or gymnosperm
antherozoid.

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.