blastocyst

[ blas-tuh-sist ]

/ ˈblæs tə sɪst /

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noun Embryology.

the blastula of the mammalian embryo, consisting of an inner cell mass, a cavity, and an outer layer, the trophoblast.

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Origin of blastocyst

First recorded in 1885–90; blasto- + -cyst

Words nearby blastocyst

blast injection, blast lamp, blasto-, blastochyle, blastocoel, blastocyst, blastoderm, blastodisc, blastodisk, blastoff, blastogenesis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use blastocyst in a sentence

A research team based in Australia and Italy described animal experiments in which 1 in 4 vitrified cow eggs were fertilized and later grew, by around day 5, to the blastocyst stage.
Solving mysteries of reproduction helped make parenthood possible for millions|Robin Marantz Henig|June 9, 2021|Science News
Back in 2018, a team grew similar blastocysts from mouse stem cells—an admirable effort, but not a perfect model as mice and humans have different development trajectories.
Scientists Created an Artificial Early Embryo From Human Skin Cells|Shelly Fan|March 23, 2021|Singularity Hub
Scientists know that during a pregnancy, a fertilized egg develops into a blastocyst around day four, and it then implants around day eight.
Scientists Created an Artificial Early Embryo From Human Skin Cells|Shelly Fan|March 23, 2021|Singularity Hub
Though they didn’t get beyond the blastocyst stage, both models are by far the most complete replicas of an early human embryo to date.
Scientists Created an Artificial Early Embryo From Human Skin Cells|Shelly Fan|March 23, 2021|Singularity Hub

For instance, last week, Zernicka-Goetz posted a preprint describing how her lab coaxed stem cells to self-assemble into a version of a human blastocyst, as a week-old embryo is known.
Scientists plan to drop the 14-day embryo rule, a key limit on stem cell research|Antonio Regalado|March 16, 2021|MIT Technology Review

British Dictionary definitions for blastocyst

blastocyst

/ (ˈblæstəʊˌsɪst) /

noun embryol

Also called: blastosphere the blastula of mammals: a sphere of cells (trophoblast) enclosing an inner mass of cells and a fluid-filled cavity (blastocoel)

another name for germinal vesicle

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

Scientific definitions for blastocyst

blastocyst

[ blăs′tə-sĭst′ ]

The modified blastula that is characteristic of placental mammals. It has an outer layer, known as a trophoblast, that participates in the development of the placenta. The inner layer of cells develops into the embryo.