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gemmule
[ jem-yool ]
noun
- Botany. gemma ( def 2 ).
- Zoology. an asexually produced mass of cells that is capable of developing into an animal, as a freshwater sponge.
- Evolution. one of the hypothetical living units conceived by Darwin in the theory of pangenesis as the bearers of the hereditary attributes.
gemmule
/ ˈdʒɛmjuːl /
noun
- zoology a cell or mass of cells produced asexually by sponges and developing into a new individual; bud
- botany a small gemma
- a small hereditary particle postulated by Darwin in his theory of pangenesis
gemmule
/ jĕm′yo̅o̅l /
- A small gemma or similar structure, especially a reproductive structure in some sponges that remains dormant through the winter and later develops into a new individual.
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of gemmule1
C19: from French, from Latin gemmula a little bud; see gem
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Example Sentences
The gemmule-spicules, which are usually numerous, are slender.
From Project Gutenberg
We can easily conceive a being so small, that a gemmule would be to it as large as St. Paul's would be to us.
From Project Gutenberg
The terminal growing bud of the axis is called the plumule or gemmule (g), and represents the ascending axis.
From Project Gutenberg
Any part of a gemmule would be an impossible (because a less than possible) quantity.
From Project Gutenberg
As a theory the gemmule plot is just as good and just as bad scientifically as Weismann's.
From Project Gutenberg
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