Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To produce or release spores.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To form spores.
  • To convert into spores.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To produce spores

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb convert into spores
  • verb produce spores

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From New Latin sporula, small spore, diminutive of spora, spore, from Greek sporā, seed; see spore.]

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Examples

  • Anthrax, as found naturally in the wild, does not compete well with putrefaction bacteria, so after killing an animal, its real success lies in its ability to sporulate quickly and remain in the soil for long periods of time.

    The Elephant's Secret Sense Caitlin O'Connell 2007

  • Anthrax, as found naturally in the wild, does not compete well with putrefaction bacteria, so after killing an animal, its real success lies in its ability to sporulate quickly and remain in the soil for long periods of time.

    The Elephant's Secret Sense Caitlin O'Connell 2007

  • Anthrax, as found naturally in the wild, does not compete well with putrefaction bacteria, so after killing an animal, its real success lies in its ability to sporulate quickly and remain in the soil for long periods of time.

    The Elephant's Secret Sense Caitlin O'Connell 2007

  • Anthrax, as found naturally in the wild, does not compete well with putrefaction bacteria, so after killing an animal, its real success lies in its ability to sporulate quickly and remain in the soil for long periods of time.

    The Elephant's Secret Sense Caitlin O'Connell 2007

  • I am soon to divide and sporulate; that is the system by which I reproduce, and I have little control over it.

    HOTHOUSE Aldiss, Brian 1962

  • To sporulate is to create an oval body that has all the basic ingredients of the vegetative bacterium.

    I Am Legend Matheson, Richard, 1926- 1954

  • To sporulate is to create an oval body that has all the basic ingredients of the vegetative bacterium.

    I Am Legend Matheson, Richard, 1926- 1954

  • The life-history of all of these is very similar, the principal difference being in the length of time it takes them to sporulate.

    Insects and Diseases A Popular Account of the Way in Which Insects may Spread or Cause some of our Common Diseases Rennie Wilbur Doane

  • Another thing that indicated that this sexual generation must take place outside the body of the vertebrate host was the fact that the investigators found that the parasites in certain of the cells did not sporulate as did the others.

    Insects and Diseases A Popular Account of the Way in Which Insects may Spread or Cause some of our Common Diseases Rennie Wilbur Doane

  • Fungus diseases overwinter on fallen leaves and sporulate to reinfect their plant hosts in spring.

    The Seattle Times 2011

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