spore

plural spores

1. A reproductive particle, usually a single cell, released by a fungus, alga, or plant that may germinate into another.

   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.

   2017 June 14, Julian Zelizer, “The challenge of protecting members of Congress”, in CNN, archived from the original on 14 Jun 2017

   1 more example

   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.

   2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Thresher Maws Codex entry

2. A thick resistant particle produced by a bacterium or protist to survive in harsh or unfavorable conditions.

present singular third person spores · participle present sporing · participle past spored · past spored

1. To produce spores.

1. A surname.