Spermatozoon vs. Sperm: What's the Difference?
Table of Contents
Main Difference
The main difference between Spermatozoon and Sperm is that the Spermatozoon is a male reproductive cell and Sperm is a male reproductive cells.
Spermatozoon
A spermatozoon (pronounced , alternate spelling spermatozoön; plural spermatozoa; from Ancient Greek: σπέρμα “seed” and Ancient Greek: ζῷον “living being”) is a motile sperm cell, or moving form of the haploid cell that is the male gamete. A spermatozoon joins an ovum to form a zygote. (A zygote is a single cell, with a complete set of chromosomes, that normally develops into an embryo.)
Sperm cells contribute approximately half of the nuclear genetic information to the diploid offspring (excluding, in most cases, mitochondrial DNA). In mammals, the sex of the offspring is determined by the sperm cell: a spermatozoon bearing a X chromosome will lead to a female (XX) offspring, while one bearing a Y chromosome will lead to a male (XY) offspring. Sperm cells were first observed by Anton van Leeuwenhoek in 1677.
Sperm
Sperm is the male reproductive cell and is derived from the Greek word (σπέρμα) sperma (meaning “seed”). In the types of sexual reproduction known as anisogamy and its subtype oogamy, there is a marked difference in the size of the gametes with the smaller one being termed the “male” or sperm cell. A uniflagellar sperm cell that is motile is referred to as a spermatozoon, whereas a non-motile sperm cell is referred to as a spermatium. Sperm cells cannot divide and have a limited life span, but after fusion with egg cells during fertilization, a new organism begins developing, starting as a totipotent zygote. The human sperm cell is haploid, so that its 23 chromosomes can join the 23 chromosomes of the female egg to form a diploid cell. In mammals, sperm develops in the testicles, stored in the epididymis, and is released from the penis.
Spermatozoon (noun)
A reproductive cell or gamete of a male, carried in semen, that fertilizes an ovum to produce a zygote.
Sperm (noun)
The reproductive cell or gamete of the male; a spermatozoon.
Sperm (noun)
Semen; the generative substance of male animals.
Sperm (noun)
Sperm oil; whale oil from a sperm whale; spermaceti.
Sperm (verb)
To ejaculate.
Sperm (verb)
To ejaculate on or into.
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