Spent ball, a ball shot from a firearm, which reaches an object without
having sufficient force to penetrate it.
{ Sper (?), Sperre }, v. t. [See Spar bar.] To shut in; to support; to
inclose; to fasten. [Obs.] "To sperre the gate." Spenser.
Spe"ra*ble (?), a. [L. spearabilis, fr. sperare to hope.] Within the
range of hpe; proper to be hoped for. [Obs.] Bacon.
Sper"a*ble (?), n. See Sperable.
Sper"age (?), n. Asperagus. [Obs.] Sylvester.
Spe"rate (?), a. [L. speratus, p. p. of sperare to hope.] Hoped for, or
to be hoped for. [R.] Bouvier.
Spere (?), v. i. [AS. spyrian to inquire, properly, to follow the
track; akin to D. speuren, G. spüren, Icel. spyrja. √171. See
Spoor.] To search; to pry; to ask; to inquire. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
[Written also speer, speir.] Jamieson.
Spere, n. [See Sphere.] A sphere. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Sperge (?), n. (Distilling) A charge of wash for the still. Knight.
Sper"ling (?), n. [See Sparling.] (Zoöl.) (a) A smelt; a sparling.
[Prov. Eng.] (b) A young herring. [Local, U.S.]
Sperm (?), n.[F. sperme, L. sperma, Gr. &?;&?;&?;, &?;&?;&?;, from
&?;&?;&?;&?; to sow. Cf. Spore.] (Physiol.) The male fecundating fluid;
semen. See Semen.
Sperm cell (Physiol.), one of the cells from which the spermatozoids
are developed. -- Sperm morula. (Biol.) Same as Spermosphere.
Sperm, n.[Contr. fr. spermaceti.] Spermaceti.
Sperm oil, a fatty oil found as a liquid, with spermaceti, in the head
cavities of the sperm whale. -- Sperm whale. (Zoöl.) See in the
Vocabulary.
Sper`ma*ce"ti (?), n. [L. sperma sperm + cetus,gen. ceti, any large sea
animal, a whale, Gr. &?;&?;&?;. See Sperm, Cetaceous.] A white waxy
substance obtained from cavities in the head of the sperm whale, and
used making candles, oilments, cosmetics, etc. It consists essentially
of ethereal salts of palmitic acid with ethal and other hydrocarbon
bases. The substance of spermaceti after the removal of certain
impurities is sometimes called cetin.
Spermaceti whale (Zoöl.), the sperm whale.
Sper"mal*ist (?), n. (Biol.) See Spermist.
Sper"ma*phore (?), n. [Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?; sperm + &?;&?;&?;&?; to bear.]
(Bot.) That part of the ovary from which the ovules arise; the
placenta.
Sper"ma*ry (?), n. (Anat.) An organ in which spermatozoa are developed;
a sperm gland; a testicle.
||Sper`ma*the"ca (?), n.; pl. Spermathecæ (#). [NL., from Gr.
||&?;&?;&?;&?; seed + &?;&?;&?;&?; case, or receptacle.] (Zoöl.) A
||small sac connected with the female reproductive organs of insects
||and many other invertebrates, serving to receive and retain the
||spermatozoa.
Sper*mat"ic (?), a. [L. spermaticus, Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;: cf. F.
spermatique. See Sperm.] (Physiol.) Of or pertaining to semen; as, the
spermatic fluid, the spermatic vessels, etc.
Spermatic cord (Anat.), the cord which suspends the testicle within the
scrotum. It is made up of a connective tissue sheath inclosing the
spermatic duct and accompanying vessels and nerves.
Sper"mat"ic*al (?), a. Spermatic.
Sper"ma*tin (?), n. (Physiol. Chem.) A substance allied to alkali
albumin and to mucin, present in semen, to which it is said to impart
the mucilaginous character.
Sper"ma*tism (?), n. (Physiol.) The emission of sperm, or semen.
||Sper*ma"ti*um (?), n.; pl. Spermatia (#). [NL.] (Bot.) One of the
||motionless spermatozoids in the conceptacles of certain fungi. J. H.
||Balfour.
Sper"ma*tize (?), v. i. [Gr. &?;&?;&?;. See Sperm.] To yield seed; to
emit seed, or sperm. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
{ Sper"ma*to- (?), Sper"mo- (?) }. Combining forms from Gr. spe`rma,
-atos, seed, sperm, semen (of plants or animals); as, spermatoblast,
spermoblast.
Sper"ma*to*blast (?), n. Same as Spermoblast.
Sper"ma*to*cyte (?), n. [Spermato- + Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?; a hollow
vessel.] (Physiol.) Same as Spermoblast.
Sper`ma*to*gem"ma (?), n. [NL. See Spermato-, and Gemma.] (Physiol.)
Same as Spermosphere.
Sper`ma*to*gen"e*sis (?), n. [Spermato- + genesis.] (Biol.) The
development of the spermatozoids.
Sper`ma*to*ge*net"ic (?), a. (Physiol.) Relating to, or connected with,
spermatogenesis; as, spermatogenetic function.
Sper`ma*tog"e*nous (?), a. [Spermato- + -genous.] (Physiol.) Sperm-
producing.
||Sper`ma*to*go"ni*um (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;, &?;&?;&?;,
||sperm + &?;&?;&?; offspring.] (Physiol.) A primitive seminal cell,
||occuring in masses in the seminal tubules. It divides into a mass
||(spermosphere) of small cells (spermoblast), which in turn give rise
||to spermatozoids.
Sper"ma*toid (?), a. [Spermato- + -oid.] (Physiol.) Spermlike;
resembling sperm, or semen.
||Sper`ma*to"ön (?), n.; pl. Spermatoa (#). [NL., fr. Gr. spe`rma,
||-atos, seed + &?;&?;&?; an egg.] (Anat.) A spermoblast. --
||Sper`ma*to"al (#), a. Owen.
Sper"ma*to*phore (?), n. [Spermato- + Gr. &?;&?;&?; to bear.] 1.
(Physiol.) Same as Spermospore.
2. (Zoöl.) A capsule or pocket inclosing a number of spermatozoa. They
are present in many annelids, brachiopods, mollusks, and crustaceans.
In cephalopods the structure of the capsule is very complex.
Sper`ma*toph"o*rous (?), a. (Physiol.) Producing seed, or sperm;
seminiferous; as, the so-called spermatophorous cells.
{Sper`ma*tor*rhe"a, Sper`ma*tor*rhœ"a, (&?;) }, n. [NL., fr. Gr.
spe`rma, - atos, seed + &?;&?;&?; to flow.] (Med.) Abnormally frequent
involuntary emission of the semen without copulation.
Sper"ma*to*spore (?), n. Same as Spermospore.
Sper`ma*to*zo"id (?), n. [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.
Sper`ma*to*zo"oid (?) n. (Biol.) A spermatozoid.
||Sper`ma*to*zo"ön (?), n.; pl. Spermatozoa (#). [NL., fr. Gr.
||&?;&?;&?;, sperm + &?;&?;&?; an animal.] (Biol.) Same as
||Spermatozoid.
Sper"mic (?), a. Of or pertaining to sperm, or semen.
||Sper*mid"i*um (?), n.; pl. Spermidia (#). [Nl., fr. Gr. spe`rma
||seed.] (Bot.) An achenium.
Sperm"ist (?), n. (Biol.) A believer in the doctrine, formerly current,
of encasement in the male (see Encasement), in which the seminal
thread, or spermatozoid, was considered as the real animal germ, the
head being the true animal head and the tail the body.
Sper"mo*blast (?), n. [Spermo- + -blast.] (Physiol.) One of the cells
formed by the division of the spermospore, each of which is destined to
become a spermatozoid; a spermatocyte; a spermatoblast.
||Sper`mo*coc"cus (?), n. [NL. See Spermo-, and Coccus.] (Physiol.) The
||nucleus of the sperm cell.
Sper"mo*derm (?), n. [Spermo- + derm: cf. F. spermoderme.] (Bot.) The
covering of a seed; -- sometimes limited to the outer coat or testa.
Lindley.
||Sper`mo*go"ni*um (?), n. [NL.; spermo- + Gr. &?;&?;&?; offspring.]
||(Bot.) A conceptacle of certain lichens, which contains spermatia.
Sper*mol"o*gist (?), n. [Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?; picking up seeds; spe`rma
sperm, seed + &?;&?;&?;&?; to gather.] One who treats of, or collects,
seeds. Bailey.
Sper"mo*phile (?), n. [Gr. spe`rma a seed + fi`los loving, fond.]
(Zoöl.) Any ground squirrel of the genus Spermophilus; a gopher. See
Illust. under Gopher.
Sper"mo*phore (?), n. (Zoöl.) A spermatophore.
||Sper*moph"y*ta (?), n. pl. [Nl., from Gr. spe`rma a seed + fyto`n a
||plant.] Plants which produce seed; phænogamia. These plants
||constitute the highest grand division of the vegetable kingdom.
Sper"mo*phyte (?), n. (Bot.) Any plant which produces true seeds; -- a
term recently proposed to replace phænogam.
Sper`mo*phyt"ic (?), a. (Bot.) Capable of producing seeds; phænogamic.
||Sper`mo*plas"ma (?), n. [NL. See Spermo-, and Plasma.] (Physiol.) The
||protoplasm of the sperm cell. Haeckel.
Sper"mo*sphere (?), n. [Spermo- + sphere.] (Physiol.) A mass or ball of
cells formed by the repeated division of a male germinal cell
(spermospore), each constituent cell (spermoblast) of which is
converted into a spermatozoid; a spermatogemma.
Sper"mo*spore (?), n. [Spermo- + spore.] (Physiol.) The male germinal
or seminal cell, from the breaking up of which the spermoblasts are
formed and ultimately the spermatozoids; a spermatospore. Balfour.
Sper"mule (?), n. [Dim. fr. sperm.] (Physiol.) A sperm cell. Haeckel.
Sperm" whale` (?). (Zoöl.) A very large toothed whale (Physeter
macrocephalus), having a head of enormous size. The upper jaw is
destitute of teeth. In the upper part of the head, above the skull,
there is a large cavity, or case, filled with oil and spermaceti. This
whale sometimes grows to the length of more than eighty feet. It is
found in the warmer parts of all the oceans. Called also cachalot, and
spermaceti whale.
Pygmy sperm whale (Zoöl.), a small whale (Kogia breviceps), seldom
twenty feet long, native of tropical seas, but occasionally found on
the American coast. Called also snub-nosed cachalot. -- Sperm-whale
porpoise (Zoöl.), a toothed cetacean (Hyperoödon bidens), found on both
sides of the Atlantic and valued for its oil. The adult becomes about
twenty-five feet long, and its head is very large and thick. Called
also bottle-nosed whale.
Sper"ry*lite (?), n.[Named after F. L. Sperry, who discovered it.]
(Min.) An arsenide of platinum occuring in grains and minute isometric
crystals of tin-white color. It is found near Sudbury, Ontario Canada,
and is the only known compound of platinum occuring in nature.
Sperse (?), v. t. To disperse. [Obs.] Spenser.
Spes"sart*ite (?), n.[From Spessart, in Germany.] (Min.) A manganesian
variety of garnet.