germ cell

noun

Definition of germ cell

: a gamete (such as an egg or sperm cell) or one of its antecedent cells

Examples of germ cell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Early during an embryo’s development, the germ cells — which are basically the cellular grandparents or great grandparents of sperm — travel to the nascent gonads. Rachel Becker, The Verge, "Transplanted testicles will always make the donor’s sperm," 26 Apr. 2018 But baby mice do not a human make, and Saitou and another scientist, Azim Surani, are each working directly with human cells, trying to understand the differences between how mice and human iPSCs become primordial germ cells. Jason Pontin, WIRED, "Science Is Getting Us Closer to the End of Infertility," 27 Mar. 2018 Transgenerational inheritance is even easier in small organisms that do not go through a germ cell stage, such as bacteria. Quanta Magazine, "Solution: ‘Darwinian Evolution Explains Lamarckism’," 2 June 2017 And germ cell growths are usually benign tumors called mature teratomas, the ACS explains. Korin Miller, SELF, "The Three Types of Ovarian Cancer You Should Know," 1 Nov. 2018 In nature, they're formed from primordial germ cells and can be seen as precursors to egg cells. David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Take Major Step Towards Making Babies From Skin Cells," 21 Sep. 2018 Early during an embryo’s development, the germ cells — which are basically the cellular grandparents or great grandparents of sperm — travel to the nascent gonads. Rachel Becker, The Verge, "Transplanted testicles will always make the donor’s sperm," 26 Apr. 2018 These germ cells then divide to form stem cells that can produce more of themselves, and more of the cells that, through a series of divisions, make sperm. Rachel Becker, The Verge, "Transplanted testicles will always make the donor’s sperm," 26 Apr. 2018 In December 2017, Surani announced a crucial milestone concerning the eight-week cycle, after which germ cells begin the process of transforming into gametes. Jason Pontin, WIRED, "Science Is Getting Us Closer to the End of Infertility," 27 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'germ cell.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of germ cell

1851, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for germ cell

germ cell

noun

Kids Definition of germ cell

: a cell (as an egg or sperm cell) that contributes to the formation of a new individual

germ cell

noun

Medical Definition of germ cell

: an egg or sperm cell or one of their antecedent cells

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