spermism

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noun

The belief, held by spermists, that the male sperm holds the whole germ of the future animal.

Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nounspermism (uncountable)
  1. uncountableThe belief, held by spermists, that the male sperm holds the whole germ of the future animal.

    It is tempting to dismiss spermism as a quaint curiosity in the history of ideas, on a par, say, with believing that the Earth is flat.

    2001, David M Friedman, A Mind of its Own, Robert Hale, published 2009, page 62

Origin

From sperm + -ism.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French spermatisme
  • spermatismeTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

spermism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spermism

MLA

“spermism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spermism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spermism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spermism.

Source: spermism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.