spore
/spoɹ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.00 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A reproductive particle, usually a single cell, released by a fungus, alga, or plant that may germinate into another.
noun
A thick resistant particle produced by a bacterium or protist to survive in harsh or unfavorable conditions.
name
A surname.
Example Sentences
- "Thresher maws are subterranean carnivores that spend their entire lives eating or searching for something to eat. Threshers reproduce via spores that lie dormant for millennia, yet are robust enough to survive prolonged periods in deep space and atmospheric re-entry. As a result, thresher spores appear on many worlds, spread by previous generations of space travelers."
- "After anthrax spores were found in letters sent to Sens. Patrick Leahy and Thomas Daschle in 2001, Congress began screening all the mail that came into the building."
Etymology
From New Latin spora, from Ancient Greek σπορά (sporá, “seed”), related to σπόρος (spóros, “sowing”) and σπείρω (speírō, “to sow”). Related to English spread).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /spoɹ/
- British English: /spɔː(ɹ)/
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Botany, Medicine.