I. ˈspō(ə)r, ˈspȯ(ə)r, -ōə, -ȯ(ə) noun
( -s )
Etymology: New Latin spora, from Greek, act of sowing, seed; akin to Greek sporos act of sowing, seed, speirein to sow, strew — more at sprout
1. : a minute unicellular reproductive or resistant resting body that is often adapted to survive unfavorable environmental conditions and to produce a new vegetative individual when these conditions alter, is morphologically a mass of protoplasm usually with a single definite nucleus and often with a cell wall and flagella, is capable of producing a new individual directly if asexual or only after union with another similar or dissimilar spore if sexual, and that occurs in many varieties differing in size, form, origin, and other characteristics — see ascospore , basidiospore , carpospore , chlamydospore , conidium , endospore , exospore , megaspore , microspore , oospore , teliospore , zoospore , zygospore ; compare seed
2. : any of various small multicellular resistant bodies (as a statoblast or gemmule) that are capable of reproducing a new individual
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
: to produce or have spores : reproduce by or as if by spores
transitive verb
: to produce or multiply by or as if by sporing : spawn