Where does “spermatozoa” come from?

Spermatozoa comes from Ancient Greek σπέρμα meaning seed, from Proto-Indo-European spérmn̥, ultimately from the root sper-.

spermatozoa (English): plural of spermatozoon

Definitions

  1. plural of spermatozoon

Ancestry of “spermatozoa”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishspermatozoonA reproductive cell or gamete of a male, carried...
2Ancient Greekσπέρμαseed; semen, sperm; seed-time, sowing
3Proto-Hellenic*spérmə—
Every word from Proto-Hellenic *spérmə →Every word from Ancient Greek σπέρμα →Every word from English spermatozoon →