zoosperm, n.

zoosperm
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zoosperm_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2017

# zoospermnoun

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zoosperm mean?

There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun zoosperm, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

zoosperm has developed meanings and uses in subjects including

life sciences (1820s) physiology (1820s) plants (1840s)

### How common is the noun zoosperm?

Fewer than 0.01occurrences per million words in modern written English

1840 | 0.036
1850 | 0.04
1860 | 0.037
1870 | 0.035
1880 | 0.039
1890 | 0.035
1900 | 0.028
1910 | 0.02
1920 | 0.012
1930 | 0.0091
1940 | 0.0061
1950 | 0.0027
1960 | 0.002
1970 | 0.0019
1980 | 0.002
1990 | 0.0018
2000 | 0.0019
2010 | 0.0019

### How is the noun zoosperm pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈzuː(ə)spəːm/
ZOO-uh-spurm
/ˈzəʊəspəːm/
ZOH-uh-spurm

#### U.S. English

/ˈzoʊəˌspərm/
ZOH-uh-spurrm
/ˈzu(ə)ˌspərm/
ZOO-uh-spurrm

### Where does the noun zoosperm come from?

Earliest known use

1820s

The earliest known use of the noun zoosperm is in the 1820s.

OED's earliest evidence for zoosperm is from 1824, in the writing of M. Bory de St. Vincent.

zoosperm is formed within English, by compounding; modelled on a French lexical item.

Etymons: zoo- comb. form, ‑sperm comb. form.

### Nearby entries

1. zooplastic, adj. a1855–
2. zoopraxinoscope, n. 1889–
3. zoopraxiscope, n. 1881–
4. zoopraxography, n. 1891–
5. zoopsychology, n. 1847–
6. zooscopic, adj. 1817–
7. zooscopy, n. 1891–
8. zoosematic, adj. 1898–1909
9. zoosemiotics, n. 1963–
10. zoosophy, n. 1662–1848
11. zoosperm, n.1824–
12. zoospermatic, adj. 1845–79
13. zoosporangiophore, n. 1889–
14. zoosporangium, n. 1862–
15. zoospore, n. 1842–
16. zoosporic, adj. 1854–
17. zoosporous, adj. 1845–
18. zoot, n. 1942–
19. zootaxy, n. 1833–
20. zootechnic, adj. 1861–
21. zootechnics, n. 1863–

## Etymology

### Summary

Formed within English, by compounding; modelled on a French lexical item.
Etymons: zoo- comb. form, ‑sperm comb. form.
< zoo- comb. form + ‑sperm comb. form, after French zoosperme (1823 in the work referred to in quot. 1824 at sense 1).

## Meaning & use

Biology.

1. 1.
   1824–
   A spermatozoon; a sperm cell; = spermatozoon n. Now chiefly historical.
   Zoosperms were originally thought to be independent organisms whose role in reproduction was unclear.
   1. 1824

      > The beings for which I have suggested the name of Zoosperms..form part of the family of cercariæ.

      M. Bory de St. Vincent in Lancet 3 July 17/2
   2. 1837

      > The part in the physiology of generation which these zoosperms perform is not so clear.

      Penny Cyclopaedia vol. IX. 460/2
   3. 1868

      > The discovery of zoosperms would prove conclusive of the presence of semen.

      Princ. Forensic Medicine (ed. 3) ii. 48
   4. a1902

      > If a man is to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, he must do so, not only as a little child, but as a little embryo, or rather as a little zoosperm.

      S. Butler, Way of All Flesh (1903) lxiii. 285
   5. 1930

      > An egg..fuses with a zoosperm..which constitutes the beginning of a new individual.

      H. D. Reed & B. P. Young, Lab. Stud. Zoology 47
   6. 2007

      > Those sluices and baths failed to neutralize every stray animacule and zoosperm deposited by the hundred weekly patrons of 101 Mercer Street.

      K. Andersen, Heyday 77
   life sciences physiology historical
   1. animalcule 1686–
      A spermatozoon; (also) the (supposed) preformed embryo within a spermatozoon. Now historical.
   2. animalcula 1716–
      = animalcule, n. (in various senses).
   3. zoosperm 1824–
      A spermatozoon; a sperm cell; = spermatozoon, n. Now chiefly historical.
   4. spermatozoon 1836–
      One of the numerous minute and active filaments present in the seminal fluid, by which the fecundation of the ovum is effected.
   5. spermatozoid 1861–
      Physiology. = spermatozoon, n.
   6. sperm 1904–
      A spermatozoon.
   7. nemasperm 1922–
      A spermatozoon.
   View in Historical Thesaurus
2. 2.
   1842–91
   † A zoospore. Cf. sporozoid n. Obsolete.
   1. 1842

      > The masses, which appear to be..truly a form of fructification.., after a certain time break up again into Zoosperms endowed with the most lively motion.

      Annals & Magazine of Natural History vol. 10 130
   2. 1869

      > The zoosperms, or zoospores, are minute microscopical corpuscles.., two-thirds full of a green liquid called chlorophylle.

      H. M. Hart, translation of C. H. B. A. Moquin-Tandon, World of Sea iv. 43
   3. 1891

      > That [special chemical property] possessed by the zoosperms of the myxomycetes, that they were attracted by certain bodies and repelled by others.

      British Medical Journal 15 August 379/1
   plants
   1. zoosperm 1842–91
      A zoospore. Cf. sporozoid, n. Obsolete.
   2. zoospore 1842–
      A motile flagellate spore, as produced by certain algae, fungi, and protozoans. Cf. zoosperm, n. 2.
   3. zoosporangium 1862–
      A sporangium containing or producing zoospores.
   4. zoosporangiophore 1889–
      A sporangiophore bearing zoosporangia.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈzuː(ə)spəːm/
ZOO-uh-spurm
/ˈzəʊəspəːm/
ZOH-uh-spurm

### U.S. English

/ˈzoʊəˌspərm/
ZOH-uh-spurrm
/ˈzu(ə)ˌspərm/
ZOO-uh-spurrm

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

## Forms

### Variant forms

1. 1800s–
   zoosperm
2. 1900s
   zoösperm

## Frequency

zoosperm typically occurs fewer than 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.

zoosperm is in frequency band 2, which contains words occurring between 0.001 and 0.01 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### Frequency of zoosperm, n., 1840–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.

Decade | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
1840 | 0.036
1850 | 0.04
1860 | 0.037
1870 | 0.035
1880 | 0.039
1890 | 0.035
1900 | 0.028
1910 | 0.02
1920 | 0.012
1930 | 0.0091
1940 | 0.0061
1950 | 0.0027
1960 | 0.002
1970 | 0.0019
1980 | 0.002
1990 | 0.0018
2000 | 0.0019
2010 | 0.0019

## Compounds & derived words

Sort by

1. oligozoospermia, n. 1892–
   Reduction in the number of spermatozoa in the…

Originally published as part of the entry for zoo-, comb. form

zoosperm, n. was revised in June 2017.

zoosperm, n. was last modified in July 2023.