The story
From Ancient Greek σπέρμα (spérma, “sperm”) + ζῷον (zōîon, “living thing”), equivalent to spermato- + -zoon.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
spermatozoon
Today it means: A reproductive cell or gamete of a male, carried in semen, that fertilizes an ovum to produce a zygote. Full definition →