semen n : the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract [syn: seed, seminal fluid, ejaculate, cum]

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -iːmən

Homophones

• seamen

Etymology

From semen

Noun

1. The fluid, produced in male reproductive organs of an animal, that contains the reproductive cells.

Synonyms

• sense Male reproductory fluid ejaculate, sperm sense slang jissom, jism, jizz, spunk, cum, seed, spurt

Translations

• Arabic: (máni)
• Chinese: 精液 (jīngyè)
• Estonian: seemnevedelik, sperma
• Finnish: siemenneste, sperma
• French: semence, sperme
• German: Samen
• Greek: σπέρμα
• Icelandic: sæði, sáð, sáðvökvi
• Marathi: रेत
• Norwegian: sæd
• Persian: (mani)
• Polish: sperma
• Portuguese: sêmen
• Romanian: spermă
• Russian: семя
• Spanish: semen
• Swedish: sädesvätska

Latin

Noun

1. seed (of plants)

   Semen manu spargere.

   To scatter seed by hand.

2. semen
3. graft
4. offspring
5. cause
6. seed (of the elements of other bodies (of fire, water, stones, etc.))
   • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura

     et ignis semina convolvunt e nubibus.''

     and the seeds of fire roll from the clouds.

Inflection

Derived terms

• sēmentifer
• sēminālia
• sēminālis
• sēminārium
• sēminārius
• sēminātiō
• sēminātor
• sēminium
• sēminiverbius
• sēminō
• sēminōsus

Semen is an organic fluid (also known as seminal fluid) that usually contains spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads (sexual glands) and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals for fertilization of female ova. The process of discharge is called ejaculation.

Physiological aspects

Internal and external fertilization

Depending on the species, spermatozoa can fertilize ova externally or internally. In external fertilization, the spermatozoa fertilize the ova directly, outside of the female's sexual organs. Female fish, for example, spawn ova into their aquatic environment, where they are fertilized by the semen of the male fish.

During internal fertilization, however, fertilization occurs inside the female's sexual organs. Internal fertilization takes place after insemination of a female by a male through copulation. In low vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, birds and monotreme mammals), copulation is achieved through the physical mating of the cloaca of the male and female. In marsupial and placental mammals, copulation occurs through the vagina.

Composition of human semen

The components of semen come from two sources: sperm, and "seminal plasma". Seminal plasma, in turn, is produced by contributions from the seminal vesicle, prostate, and bulbourethral glands.

Seminal plasma of humans contains a complex range of organic and inorganic constituents.

The seminal plasma provides a nutritive and protective medium for the spermatozoa during their journey through the female reproductive tract. The normal environment of the vagina is a hostile one for sperm cells, as it is very acidic (from the native microflora producing lactic acid), viscous, and patrolled by immune cells. The components in the seminal plasma attempt to compensate for this hostile environment. Basic amines such as putrescine, spermine, spermidine and cadaverine are responsible for the smell and flavor of semen. These alkaline bases counteract the acidic environment of the vaginal canal, and protect DNA inside the sperm from acidic denaturation.

The components and contributions of semen are as follows:

• spermatozoon
• spermatogenesis
• pre-ejaculate
• capacitation
• sexual slang for a list of various commonly used terms for semen.
• Vasectomy

References

External links

• "factors that affect spermatogenesis"
• "Does Semen Have Antidepressant Properties?" By Gordon G. Gallup
• simple article about sperm contents

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