Spermatozoon
/ˌspɜːr.mə.təˈzoʊ.ɒn/noun
A sperm cell, especially a motile male reproductive cell.
Did you know?The term was coined in Modern Latin scientific usage from Greek roots, and the -zoon element is the same one behind words like zodiac, because it originally meant a living being or creature.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
sperma
“seed, semen”
Ancient Greek
Greek
zōion
“animal, living being”
17th Century
New Latin
spermatozoon
“a microscopic animalcule in semen, according to early microscopic theory”
19th Century
English
spermatozoon
“a male reproductive cell capable of fertilizing an egg”
Modern English
English
spermatozoon
“a sperm cell”