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spore

UK/spɔː(ɹ)/US/spoɹ/
nounB2+Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #13,579 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: spores

A spore is the single tiny cell a fungus or fern spreads by. Release the spores, a spore print, spores in the air.

It differs from a seed in carrying no food store and no embryo, which is why so many are made — a single mushroom releases billions. A spore print, made by leaving a cap on paper overnight, is one of the standard ways of identifying a fungus.

Sporic meiosis.png: Original uploader was Menchi at en.wikipedia. Derivative work: Rehua (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0

Definitions of spore

  1. 1nounsporeThe single tiny cell a fungus or fern spreads by.B2+

    “The mushroom releases millions of tiny spores that drift away on the wind.”

spore is a cell.

Where it comes from

Greek spora means a sowing or seed, from speirein, to sow. Sperm and diaspora are relatives.

  1. Proto-Indo-European

    *sper-

  2. Ancient Greek

    σπορά — seed

  3. New Latin

    spora

  4. English, today

    spore

Built from

  • σπόρος · Ancient Greek — sowing
  • σπείρω · Ancient Greek — to sow

From New Latin spora, from Ancient Greek σπορά (“seed”), related to σπόρος (“sowing”) and σπείρω (“to sow”). Related to English spread).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Trees & Flowers

Practise this word

spore in the wild

  • The name "endospore" is suggestive of a spore or seed-like form (endo means 'within'), but it is not a true spore (i.e., not an offspring).

    Endospore

  • There are many reports of spores remaining viable over 10,000 years, and revival of spores millions of years old has been claimed.

    Endospore

  • In some rare cases, a diploid spore is also produced in some algae, or fungi.

    Spore

  • The spore print is the powdery deposit obtained by allowing spores of a fungal fruit body to fall onto a surface underneath.

    Spore print

  • The hymenium is the fertile, spore-bearing tissue layer of many fungal fruiting bodies.

    Hymenium

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the spora family

spur

spore — used about once every 23,598 pages · #13,579 · point at the bar for the others