blastula

American  

[blas-chuh-luh] / ˈblæs tʃə lə /

noun

Embryology.

plural

blastulas, blastulae

1. the early developmental stage of an animal, following the morula stage and consisting of a single, spherical layer of cells enclosing a hollow, central cavity.

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blastula British  

/ ˈblæstjʊlə /

noun

1. Also called: blastosphere.  an early form of an animal embryo that develops from a morula, consisting of a sphere of cells with a central cavity

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blastula Scientific  

/ blăs′chə-lə /

plural

blastulas

1. An animal embryo at the stage immediately following the division of the fertilized egg cell, consisting of a ball-shaped layer of cells around a fluid-filled cavity known as a blastocoel.

2. Compare gastrula See also blastocyst

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blastula Cultural  

1. The stage of an embryo that consists of just over a hundred cells — a stage reached about one week after fertilization. At this stage the cells are just at the very beginning of cellular differentiation and are said to be totipotent (See totipotency).

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Discover More

This is the stage of development where embryonic stems cells can be harvested for medical research.

Other Word Forms

• blastular adjective
• blastulation noun

Etymology

Origin of blastula

1885–90; < New Latin < Greek blast ( ós ) bud, sprout + New Latin -ula -ule

Compare meaning

How does blastula compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• morula vs. blastula
• blastula vs. blastocyst
• blastula vs. gastrula

Example Sentences

After the cleavage has produced over 100 cells, the embryo is called a blastula.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

After fertilization, the zygote undergoes cleavage to form the blastula.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Cells in the growing tip of the root rapidly undergo mitosis, just as the whitefish blastula described in Figure 10.10.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The blastula is often a hollow ball of cells.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

However, opinions still differ considerably as to the real nature of this "provisional gastrula" of the placental and its relation to the blastula into which it is converted.

From The Evolution of Man — Volume 1 by Haeckel, Ernst Heinrich Philipp August