gamete

noun

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gam·ete | \ ˈga-ˌmēt

also gə-ˈmēt

Definition of gamete

: 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 with a gamete of the opposite sex

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Other Words from gamete

gametic \ gə-ˈme-tik

, -ˈmē-

\ adjective

gametically \ gə-ˈme-ti-k(ə-)lē

, -ˈmē- \ adverb

Examples of gamete in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The parents who have benefited from the generous gift of gamete donation must remember that there is a human being on the other side of the gift with partners, parents, jobs and children of their own. — Caitlin Harrington, Wired, 30 July 2020 Clearly, there are strong mechanisms by which Mendel’s law of segregation (that decrees equal access to gametes by allelic pairs) is enforced. — Quanta Magazine, 8 Dec. 2017 Irena discovered a branch of the Institut Marquès in Ireland, a country that permits non-anonymous gamete donation. — Anna Louie Sussman, The New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2019 To get around that, another group is working on producing artificial gametes—egg and sperm—from preserved skin tissue from 12 white rhinos. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 24 Aug. 2019 Once a group of adults is conditioned, they are transferred to warmer water and made to release their gametes. — Julia Rentsch, baltimoresun.com, 18 Aug. 2019 These stem cells will eventually be converted into gametes, sperm and egg cells. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 July 2019 The exact identity of the sperm was random, and the egg waited passively until the Michael Phelps of gametes finally arrived. — Quanta Magazine, 15 Nov. 2017 There’s a little explosion of light as both dump their gametes in the water. — Laura Yan, Popular Mechanics, 11 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gamete.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for gamete

borrowed from German Gamet, borrowed from Greek gamétēs "husband" or gametḗ "wife," from game-, stem of gameîn "to marry" + -tēs, -tē, agent suffixes — more at -gamous

Note: Gamet was introduced by the Polish-German biologist Eduard Strasburger (1844-1912) in an article cowritten with the botanist Anton de Bary, "Acetabularia mediterranea" (Botanische Zeitung, 35. Jahrgang, No. 47, 23. November 1877), pp. 745-56.

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Dictionary Entries Near gamete

gametangium

gamete

gamete intrafallopian transfer

Statistics for gamete

Cite this Entry

“Gamete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamete. Accessed 5 Aug. 2021.

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More Definitions for gamete

gamete

noun

English Language Learners Definition of gamete

technical : one of the cells that join together to begin making a person or other creature

See the full definition for gamete in the English Language Learners Dictionary

gamete

noun

ga·mete | \ ˈgam-ˌēt also gə-ˈmēt \

Medical Definition of gamete

: 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 with a gamete of the opposite sex

— called also sex cell

Other Words from gamete

gametic \ gə-ˈmet-ik

, -ˈmēt-

\ adjective

gametically \ -i-k(ə-)lē

\ adverb