<B>spoonbill, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a long-legged pink wading bird that has a long, flat bill with a spoon-shaped tip. Spoonbills belong to the same family as the ibises. <DD><B> 2. </B>any one of certain other birds having such a bill. <DD><B> 3. </B><B>=paddlefish.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="spoonbilled">
<B>spoonbilled, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having a spoonlike or spatulate bill, dilated at the end. <BR> <I>Ex. a spoonbilled bird.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>having a spatulate snout, as a sturgeon; shovel-nosed. </DL>
<B>spoon bread,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a mixture of corn meal, and sometimes rice, with milk, eggs, and shortening, cooked by baking but always soft enough to be served with a spoon. </DL>
<A NAME="spoondrift">
<B>spoondrift, </B>noun. <B>=spindrift.</B></DL>
<A NAME="spoonerism">
<B>spoonerism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an accidental transposition of sounds, usually the initial sounds, of two or more words, such as "well-boiled icicle" for "well-oiled bicycle." </DL>
<A NAME="spooney">
<B>spooney, </B>adjective, <B>spoonier,</B> <B>spooniest,</B> noun, pl. <B>spooneys.</B> <B>=spoony.</B></DL>
<A NAME="spoonfashion">
<B>spoon-fashion, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> like spoons put close together; with the face of one to the back of the other and with the knees bent. </DL>
<A NAME="spoonfed">
<B>spoon-fed, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>protected and coddled, like a child who must be fed with a spoon; pampered. <BR> <I>Ex. a spoon-fed industry.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>discouraging or minimizing independence of thought and action, especially by avoiding what is difficult, controversial, or otherwise unpleasant. <BR> <I>Ex. spoon-fed education.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spoonfeed">
<B>spoon-feed, </B>transitive verb, intransitive verb, <B>-fed,</B> <B>-feeding.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to feed with or as if with a spoon; coddle; pamper. </DL>
<A NAME="spoonful">
<B>spoonful, </B>noun, pl. <B>-fuls.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> as much as a spoon can hold. <BR> <I>Ex. I take only one spoonful of sugar with my coffee.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spoonhook">
<B>spoon hook,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a hook with a spinning lure (spoon) attached. </DL>
<A NAME="spoonoar">
<B>spoon oar,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an oar which is slightly curved lengthwise at the end of its broad blade. </DL>
<A NAME="spoony">
<B>spoony, </B>adjective, <B>spoonier,</B> <B>spooniest,</B> noun, pl. <B>spoonies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) <DD><I>adj. </I> foolish or silly in lovemaking; demonstratively fond. <BR> <I>Ex. I was never in love myself, but I've seen many others spoony (Frederick Marryat).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a sentimental or overfond lover. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=simpleton.</B> adv. <B>spoonily.</B> noun <B>spooniness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="spoor">
<B>spoor, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> the trail of a wild animal or a person; track. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to track by a spoor. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to follow a spoor. noun <B>spoorer.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="spor">
<B>spor-,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (combining form.) the form of <B>sporo-</B> before vowels, as in <I>sporulate.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="sporadic">
<B>sporadic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>appearing now and then or at intervals in time; occasional. <BR> <I>Ex. sporadic outbreaks.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>being or occurring apart from others; isolated. <BR> <I>Ex. The sporadic meteors, which appear to be independent travelers, seem to be divided between stony and metallic (Robert H. Baker).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>occurring in scattered instances; not epidemic. <BR> <I>Ex. sporadic cases of scarlet fever.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>occurring singly or widely apart in locality; scattered; dispersed. <BR> <I>Ex. sporadic genera of plants.</I> adv. <B>sporadically.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="sporadice">
<B>sporadic E,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an area of high ionization in the E layer of the ionosphere which interferes with the normal reflection of short-wave radio. </DL>
<B>sporadosiderite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a stony meteorite containing grains of iron. </DL>
<A NAME="sporal">
<B>sporal, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with spores. </DL>
<A NAME="sporangia">
<B>sporangia, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> plural of <B>sporangium.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="sporangial">
<B>sporangial, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of or having to do with the sporangium. <BR> <I>Ex. the sporangial layer.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>containing spores. <DD><B> 3. </B>having the character of a sporangium. </DL>
<A NAME="sporangiophore">
<B>sporangiophore, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the structure or receptacle which bears sporangia. </DL>
<A NAME="sporangium">
<B>sporangium, </B>noun, pl. <B>-gia.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a receptacle or case in which asexual spores are produced; spore case. The little brown spots sometimes seen on the underside of ferns are groups of sporangia. The sporangium receives different names according to the kind of spores produced, such as <I>macrosporangium, microsporangium.</I> In mosses <I>sporangium</I> is usually the same as <I>capsule.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="spore">
<B>spore, </B>noun, verb, <B>spored,</B> <B>sporing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a single cell which becomes free and is capable of developing into a new plant or animal. Ferns and other flowerless plants produce spores; mold grows from spores. Some protozoans produce spores. The spores of flowerless plants are analogous to the seeds of flowering plants. Spores are produced asexually (asexual spores) or sexually (sexual spores) by the fusion of gametes. <BR> <I>Ex. These organisms not only flourish without oxygen, but also form resistant spores which survive pasteurization (J. A. Barnett).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a germ; seed. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to form or produce spores. </DL>
<A NAME="sporecase">
<B>spore case,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a receptacle containing spores; sporangium. The little brown spots on the underside of ferns are spore cases. </DL>
<A NAME="sporefruit">
<B>spore fruit,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any part of a plant that produces spores, such as an ascocarp. </DL>
<A NAME="sporeling">
<B>sporeling, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) a young plant, such as a fern, developed from a spore. </DL>
<A NAME="sporicidal">
<B>sporicidal, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> destructive of spores. </DL>
<A NAME="sporiferous">
<B>sporiferous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> bearing or producing spores. </DL>
<A NAME="spork">
<B>spork, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) a plastic spoon having blunt tines at the tip of the bowl for use as a fork. </DL>
<A NAME="sporo">
<B>sporo-,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (combining form.) spore or spores. <BR> <I>Ex. Sporogenesis</I> <DL COMPACT><DD> <B>=the formation of spores.</B> Also, <B>spor-</B> before vowels. </DL>
</DL>
<A NAME="sporocarp">
<B>sporocarp, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) <DD><B> 1. </B>a multicellular body serving essentially for the formation of spores, as in red algae and ascomycetous fungi. <DD><B> 2. </B>(in mosses) <B>=sporogonium.</B> <DD><B> 3. </B>a sorus in certain aquatic ferns. </DL>
<A NAME="sporocyst">
<B>sporocyst, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a cyst formed by sporozoans during reproduction, in which sporozoites develop. <DD><B> 2. </B>an encysted sporozoan. <DD><B> 3. </B>a capsule or sac containing germ cells, that develops from the embryo of trematode worms, usually within the body of a snail. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Botany.) a resting cell which produces asexual spores, as in algae. </DL>
<A NAME="sporocystic">
<B>sporocystic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with a sporocyst. </DL>
<A NAME="sporocyte">
<B>sporocyte, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) a cell from which a spore is derived. </DL>
<A NAME="sporoduct">
<B>sporoduct, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a duct in which spores are lodged or through which they pass. </DL>
<A NAME="sporogenesis">
<B>sporogenesis, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Biology.) <DD><B> 1. </B>the formation of spores. <DD><B> 2. </B>reproduction by means of spores. </DL>
<B>sporogenous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>reproducing or reproduced by means of spores. <DD><B> 2. </B>bearing or producing spores. <BR> <I>Ex. There is an operculum, as usual, but the sporogenous cells form a dome-shaped mass (Fred W. Emerson).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="sporogonium">
<B>sporogonium, </B>noun, pl. <B>-nia.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the spore case of mosses and liverworts; sporocarp. </DL>
<A NAME="sporogony">
<B>sporogony, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> reproduction by means of spores, especially in certain protozoans. </DL>
<A NAME="sporont">
<B>sporont, </B>noun. <B>=gamont.</B></DL>
<A NAME="sporophore">
<B>sporophore, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) <DD><B> 1. </B>the branch or portion of a sporophyte which bears spores. In fungi, it is a single hypha or branch of a hypha. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=sporophyte</B> (in ferns and mosses). </DL>
<A NAME="sporophorous">
<B>sporophorous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>bearing spores. <DD><B> 2. </B>of or having to do with the sporophore. </DL>
<A NAME="sporophyll">
<B>sporophyll</B> or <B>sporophyl, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) any leaf or leaflike organ, usually more or less modified, which bears spores or spore cases. </DL>
<A NAME="sporophyte">
<B>sporophyte, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) the individual plant or the generation of a plant which produces asexual spores, in a plant which reproduces both sexually and asexually. <BR> <I>Ex. In other words, the moss sporophyte acts as a parasite on the gametophyte (Fred W. Emerson).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="sporophytic">
<B>sporophytic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having to do with, resembling, or characteristic of a sporophyte. </DL>
<A NAME="sporopollenin">
<B>sporopollenin, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a highly resistant and durable substance that forms the outer wall of all pollen grains except those of aquatic plants. </DL>
<A NAME="sporotrichosis">
<B>sporotrichosis, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a fungous disease of horses, dogs, cats, and man, characterized by cutaneous lesions along the lymph vessels. </DL>
<A NAME="sporozoan">
<B>sporozoan, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> any one of a class of minute parasitic protozoans which absorb food through the body wall and reproduce sexually and asexually in alternate generations. Certain sporozoans cause diseases of man and animals, such as malaria. Plasmodia belong to this class. <DD><I>adj. </I> of or belonging to the sporozoans. </DL>
