gon(o)- Also gonado-.
Sexual; reproductive.
[Greek gonos, semen, seed, generation.]
A gonad (see -ad1) is an organ such as a testis or ovary that produces mature germ cells; in invertebrates, a gonopore is an opening through which eggs or sperm are released; gonorrhoea (US gonorrhea) (Greek rhoia, flux) is a contagious infection of the genital tract caused by a bacterium called a gonococcus. The form gonado derives from gonad by adding the linking vowel -o-; an example is ex>gonadotrophin (Greek trophē, nourishment), a hormone secreted by the pituitary which stimulates the action of the gonads.
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