ˈspermophore Bot.
[ad. mod.L. spermophorum or a. F. spermophore: see spermo- and -phore.]
The placenta in plants. Also ˈspermophyte Bot., a seed-bearing plant. spermoˈphytic a., ‘capable of producing true seeds’ (1891 Cent. Dict.). ˈspermospore Phys., a compound cellular mass from which sperm filaments are developed. spermoˈtoxin Chem., a serum destructive to spermatozoa.
| 1861 Bentley Man. Bot. 283 The placenta is called by Schleiden the *spermophore. 1891 Cent. Dict., Spermophyte,..a plant producing true seeds. |
| 1881 Mivart Cat 245 From these cells the spermatozoa appear to be formed by subdivision of the nucleus of each *spermospore. |
| 1902 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 12 Apr. 920 Metchnikoff [deals] with *spermotoxins and leucotoxins. |