- Epididymis
- A structure within the scrotum attached to the backside of the testis. The epididymis is a coiled segment of the spermatic ducts that serves to store, mature and transport spermatozoa between the testis and the vas (the vas deferens).
* * *An elongated structure connected to the posterior surface of the testis, consisting of the head, body, and tail, which turns sharply upon itself to become the ductus deferens; the main component is the very convoluted duct of the e. which in the tail and the beginning of the ductus deferens is a reservoir for spermatozoa. The e. transports, stores, and matures spermatozoa between testis and ductus deferens (vas deferens). SYN: parorchis. [Mod. L. fr. G. e., fr. epi, on, + didymos, twin, in pl. testes]- caput e. SYN: head of e..- cauda e. SYN: tail of e..
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ep·i·did·y·mis .ep-ə-'did-ə-məs n, pl -mi·des -mə-.dēz a system of ductules that emerges posteriorly from the testis, holds sperm during maturation, and forms a tangled mass before uniting into a single coiled duct which comprises the highly convoluted body and tail of the system and is continuous with the vas deferens see VASA EFFERENTIAep·i·did·y·mal -məl adj* * *
n. (pl. epididymides)a highly convoluted tube, about seven metres long, that connects the testis to the vas deferens. The spermatozoa are moved passively along the tube over a period of several days, during which time they mature and become capable of fertilization. They are concentrated and stored in the lower part of the epididymis until ejaculation.• epididymal adj.* * *
ep·i·did·y·mis (ep″ĭ-didґə-mis) pl. epididyґmides [Gr., from epi- + didymos testis] [TA] the elongated cordlike structure along the posterior border of the testis, whose elongated coiled duct provides for storage, transit, and maturation of spermatozoa and is continuous with the ductus deferens. It consists of a head (caput epididymidis), body (corpus epididymidis), and tail (cauda epididymidis). Called also parorchis. epididymal adj
Epididymis in a cross section of the testis, showing its division into head, body, and tail.
Medical dictionary. 2011.
