definitions

blastema

[ bla-stee-muh ]
/ blæˈsti mə /
|

noun, plural blas·te·mas, blas·te·ma·ta [bla-stee-muh-tuh] /blæˈsti mə tə/. Embryology.

an aggregation of cells in an early embryo, capable of differentiation into specialized tissue and organs.

Nearby words

blast lamp, blast off, blast wave, blast-furnace cement, blasted, blastema, blastematic, blastemic, blasting, blasting gelatin, blasting powder

Origin of blastema

1840–50; < New Latin < Greek blástēma (blastē- verbid stem of blasteîn to sprout + -ma noun suffix denoting result of action)
Related formsblas·te·mal, blas·te·mat·ic [blas-tuh-mat-ik] /ˌblæs təˈmæt ɪk/, blas·te·mic [bla-stee-mik, -steem-ik] /blæˈsti mɪk, -ˈstim ɪk/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for blastema

British Dictionary definitions for blastema

blastema

/ (blæˈstiːmə) /

noun plural -mas or -mata (-mətə)

a mass of undifferentiated animal cells that will develop into an organ or tissue: present at the site of regeneration of a lost part
Derived Formsblastemic (blæˈstiːmɪk, -ˈstɛm-), adjective

Word Origin for blastema

C19: from New Latin, from Greek: offspring, from blastos bud
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for blastema

blastema

n.

1849, Modern Latin, from Greek blastema "offspring, offshoot," from stem of blastanein "to shoot forth," from blastos "sprout, germ," of unknown origin. Related: Blastemal.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for blastema

blastema

[ blă-stē′mə ]

n.

The formative, undifferentiated material from which cells are formed.
A mass of embryonic cells from which an organ or a body part develops, either in normal development or in the regeneration of a lost body part.
Related formsblas•te′mal null null adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.