Sporadic disease(Med.), a disease which occurs in single and scattered cases. See the Note under Endemic, a.

Sporadical
(Spo*rad"ic*al) a. Sporadic.

Sporadically
(Spo*rad"ic*al*ly), adv. In a sporadic manner.

Sporangiophore
(Spo*ran"gi*o*phore) n. [Sporangium + Gr. to bear.] (Bot.) The axis or receptacle in certain ferns which bears the sporangia.

Sporangium
(||Spo*ran"gi*um) n.; pl. Sporangia [NL., fr. Gr. a sowing, seed + a receptacle.] (Bot.) A spore case in the cryptogamous plants, as in ferns, etc.

Spore
(Spore) n. [Gr. a sowing, seed, from to sow. Cf. Sperm.]

1. (Bot.) (a) One of the minute grains in flowerless plants, which are analogous to seeds, as serving to reproduce the species.

Spores are produced differently in the different classes of cryptogamous plants, and as regards their nature are often so unlike that they have only their minuteness in common. The peculiar spores of diatoms (called auxospores) increase in size, and at length acquire a siliceous coating, thus becoming new diatoms of full size. Compare Macrospore, Microspore, Oöspore, Restingspore, Sphærospore, Swarmspore, Tetraspore, Zoöspore, and Zygospore.

(b) An embryo sac or embryonal vesicle in the ovules of flowering plants.

2. Hence, a small quantity. Arbuthnot.

Spoonily
(Spoon"i*ly) adv. In a spoony manner.

Spoon-meat
(Spoon"-meat`) n. Food that is, or must be, taken with a spoon; liquid food. "Diet most upon spoon-meats." Harvey.

Spoonwood
(Spoon"wood`) n. (Bot.) The mountain laurel

Spoonworm
(Spoon"worm`) n. (Zoöl.) A gephyrean worm of the genus Thalassema, having a spoonlike probiscis.

Spoonwort
(Spoon"wort`) n. (Bot.) Scurvy grass.

Spoony
(Spoon"y) a. & n. Same as Spooney.

Spoor
(Spoor) n. [D. spoor; akin to AS. spor, G. spur, and from the root of E. spur. &radic171. See Spur.] The track or trail of any wild animal; as, the spoor of an elephant; — used originally by travelers in South Africa.

Spoor
(Spoor), v. i. To follow a spoor or trail. [R.]

Sporades
(||Spor"a*des) n. pl. [L., fr. Gr. spora`des. Cf. Sporadic.] (Astron.) Stars not included in any constellation; — called also informed, or unformed, stars.

Sporadial
(Spo*ra"di*al) a. Sporadic. [R.]

Sporadic
(Spo*rad"ic) a. [Gr. scattered, fr. scattered, fr. to sow seed, to scatter like seed: cf. F. sporadique. See Spore.] Occuring singly, or apart from other things of the same kind, or in scattered instances; separate; single; as, a sporadic fireball; a sporadic case of disease; a sporadic example of a flower.


  By PanEris using Melati.

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