gamete

gamete
—gametic /geuh met"ik/, gametal /geuh meet"l/, adj. —gametically, adv.
/gam"eet, geuh meet"/, n. Biol.
a mature sexual reproductive cell, as a sperm or egg, that unites with another cell to form a new organism.
[1885-90; < NL gameta < Gk gamet- (s. of gameté wife, gamétes husband), deriv. of gameîn to marry]

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      sex, or reproductive, cell containing only one set of dissimilar chromosomes, or half of the genetic material necessary to form a complete organism (i.e., haploid). During fertilization, male and female gametes fuse, producing a diploid (i.e., containing paired chromosomes) zygote. Gametes may be identical in form (isogamy), as in the black mold (Rhizopus), or there may be more than one morphological type (heterogamy), as with many green algae of the genus Chlamydomonas. Gametes of animals, some algae and fungi, and all higher plants exhibit an advanced form of heterogamy called oogamy. In oogamy, one of the gametes is small and motile (the sperm), and the other is large and nonmotile (the egg). See also egg; sperm.

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  • gamète — [ gamɛt ] n. m. • 1884; gr. gametê, gametês « épouse, époux », de gamos « mariage » ♦ Biol. Cellule reproductrice sexuée possédant la moitié des chromosomes des autres cellules de l organisme (⇒ génome; haploïde), et qui, en s unissant à une… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Gamete — Gamète Un gamète (en grec : γαμέτες) est une cellule reproductrice de type haploïde qui a terminé la méiose et la différenciation cytoplasmique. Les gamètes sont des cellules dont l unique fonction est d assurer la reproduction. Ce sont des… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Gamete — Gam ete (g[a^]m [=e]t; g[.a]*m[=e]t ; the latter usually in compounds), n. [Gr. gameth wife, or game ths husband, fr. gamei^n to marry.] (Biol.) A sexual cell or germ cell having a single set of unpaired chromosomes; a conjugating cell which… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • gamete — [gam′ēt, gə mēt′] n. [ModL gameta < Gr gametē, a wife < gamein, to marry < gamos: see GAMO ] a reproductive cell that is haploid and can unite with another gamete to form the cell (zygote) that develops into a new individual gametic [gə… …   English World dictionary

  • gamete — (n.) sexual protoplasmic body, 1880, coined 1878 by German cytologist Eduard Strasburger (1844 1912), the widespread attribution to Mendel being apparently erroneous; from Gk. gamete a wife, gametes a husband, from gamein to take to wife, to… …   Etymology dictionary

  • gamete — gamete. См. гамета. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • gamete — ► NOUN Biology ▪ a mature haploid male or female germ cell which is able to unite with another of the opposite sex in sexual reproduction to form a zygote. DERIVATIVES gametic adjective. ORIGIN Greek gamet wife , gamet s husband , from gamos… …   English terms dictionary

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  • Gamete — A gamete (from Ancient Greek γαμέτης gametes husband / γαμετή gamete wife ) is a cell that fuses with another cell during fertilization (conception) in organisms that reproduce sexually. In species that produce two morphologically distinct types… …   Wikipedia

  • Gamete — The sperm or the egg. Each human gamete normally has 23 chromosomes, the haploid number of chromosomes, half the number of chromosomes contained in most types of cells. * * * 1. One of two haploid cells that can undergo karyogamy. 2. Any germ… …   Medical dictionary

  • gamete — noun Etymology: New Latin gameta, from Greek gametēs husband, from gamein to marry Date: 1886 a mature male or female germ cell usually possessing a haploid chromosome set and capable of initiating formation of a new diploid individual by fusion… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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