Gamete

A gamete (from Ancient Greek γαμετης; translated gamete = wife, gametes = husband) is a specialized germ cell that fuses with another gamete during fertilization (conception) in organisms that reproduce sexually. In species which produce two morphologically distinct types of gametes, and in which each individual produces only one type, a female is any individual which produces the larger type of gamete—called an ovum (or egg)—and a male produces the smaller type—called a spermatozoon (or sperm cell). The name gamete was introduced by the Austrian biologist Gregor Mendel.