spermicide
Meaning
a substance that kills sperm, used as a form of contraception.
Structure
Usage
the contraceptive foam contains a spermicide to immobilize sperm.
some people may experience irritation from the nonoxynol-9 spermicide used in certain products.
for maximum effectiveness, the diaphragm should be used in conjunction with a spermicide.
Etymology
the word 'spermicide' is a modern scientific compound formed from two classical roots. the first part, 'sperm-', originates from the greek 'sperma', which literally meant "that which is sown, seed," extending metaphorically to human semen. the second part, '-cide', derives from the latin verb 'caedere', meaning "to cut down or kill," a root prolific in words denoting killing, such as 'homicide' and 'insecticide'. the connecting vowel 'i' is a typical feature of neoclassical compounds. thus, the term's literal construction, "sperm-killer," directly and transparently describes its modern function as an agent that destroys spermatozoa for contraceptive purposes.
Analysis
- sperm: from greek 'sperma' meaning "seed, semen". in this word, it refers to sperm cells. - i: a connecting vowel, often used in scientific terminology. - cide: from latin '-cidium', from 'caedere' meaning "to cut, to kill". it functions as a suffix denoting an agent or substance that kills.