Spore
/spɔːr/noun
A tiny reproductive cell or unit capable of developing into a new organism without fertilization.
Did you know?The word comes from Greek *spora*, meaning “seed” or “sowing,” and it traveled through the language of plants, not magic—though its power to multiply life still feels occult.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sper-
“to scatter, sow”
Ancient Greek
GRK
spora
“a sowing, seed, seed-corn”
Late Latin
LAT
spora
“seed; a spore-like reproductive body”
19th Century
English
spore
“a minute reproductive body of fungi, algae, ferns, and some other organisms”
Modern English
English
spore
“a tiny reproductive cell or unit that can grow into a new organism”