1. Plural of antherid; male gametes or sperm cells in certain lower plants and algae, particularly in bryophytes and pteridophytes.
Usage: botanical; technical; chiefly used in plant biology and botany

Examples

• The antherids of mosses are produced in the antheridia and swim through water to reach the archegonia.
• In ferns, antherids are released from the male reproductive structures during the gametophyte stage.
• The motility of antherids depends on adequate moisture in the plant's environment.
• Botanists study antherids to understand the reproductive cycles of bryophytes.
• The antherids must navigate through water droplets to fertilize the female gametes.