| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| sperm (n.) |
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| Originally a singular mass noun, sperm is a clipped form of the singular spermatozoon, whose plural is spermatozoa. Because sperm has had such wide use, and because even scientists appear to have welcomed its brevity when compared with the unclipped form, it has developed both a regular plural, sperms, and an unchanging plural form, sperm, as in These sperms [or sperm] are highly susceptible to cold. The unclipped scientific noun, spermatozoon, has a variant, spermatozoan, which has a regular English plural, spermatozoans. See also FOREIGN PLURALS; MASS NOUNS. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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