Definitions for Gameteˈgæm it, gəˈmit

This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word Gamete

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

gam•eteˈgæm it, gəˈmit(n.)


    Category: Cell Biology

Origin of gamete:

1885–90; < NL gameta < Gk gametḗ wife, or gamétēs husband, der. of gameîn to marry


Princeton's WordNet

  1. gamete(noun)

    a mature sexual reproductive cell having a single set of unpaired chromosomes


  1. gamete(Noun)


  2. Origin: From γαμετή, γαμέτης, ultimately from γάμος.


  1. Gamete

    A gamete is a cell that fuses with another cell during fertilization in organisms that reproduce sexually. In species that produce two morphologically distinct types of gametes, and in which each individual produces only one type, a female is any individual that produces the larger type of gamete—called an ovum —and a male produces the smaller tadpole-like type—called a sperm. This is an example of anisogamy or heterogamy, the condition in where females and males produce gametes of different sizes. In contrast, isogamy is the state of gametes from both sexes being the same size and shape, and given arbitrary designators for mating type. The name gamete was introduced by the Austrian biologist Gregor Mendel. Gametes carry half the genetic information of an individual, 1n of each type.


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