Meaning & use
gametes
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“gametes” is a form of “gamete”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounpluralbiology
Specialized reproductive cells, such as sperm and egg cells, that join with another to start a new organism.
Grammar: Plural of gamete: male and female gametes fuse.
Patterns
- male and female gametes
- gametes fuse
Sperm and egg cells are the human gametes.
Gametes carry only half of the chromosomes found in other cells.
In flowering plants, the gametes form inside the pollen and the ovules.
nounpluralbiologytechnical
In general, the haploid cells produced by meiosis in animals and plants which unite during fertilization.
Grammar: Used in textbooks to describe the process.
Patterns
- gametes produced by meiosis
Meiosis produces gametes with half the normal number of chromosomes.
Fertilization happens when two gametes unite to form a zygote.
Some algae release gametes directly into the water.
Word forms
| singular | gamete |
|---|
Common combinations
- male gametes
- Male gametes are usually smaller and more mobile.
- female gametes
- Female gametes are larger and contain stored food.
- produce gametes
- Adult animals produce gametes in the gonads.
- fusion of gametes
- The fusion of gametes starts a new life.
- haploid gametes
- Haploid gametes have one set of chromosomes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sex cells
- Sex cells is the plain, everyday term, whereas gametes is the scientific word used in textbooks.
- germ cells
- Germ cells include the cells that will become gametes, so the term is wider than gametes.
- reproductive cells
- Reproductive cells is a general descriptive phrase and less exact than gametes.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: gametes or gamut?
gametes vs gamut
A gamut is the full range of something. It sounds a little like gamete but has no link to biology.
Practice
In humans, sperm and egg cells are known as ____.
Choose one answer.
Gametes are the sex cells that join in fertilization. A zygote is the cell they form, and spores and embryos are other stages or structures.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gametes”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.