body plan

American  

noun

1. Biology. the basic shape of members of an animal phylum; the general structure each individual organism assumes as it develops.

2. Naval Architecture. a diagrammatic elevation of a hull, consisting of an end view of the bow on one side of the center line and an end view of the stern on the other side, marked with water lines, diagonals, bow or buttock lines, stations, and sometimes details of the hull.

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Etymology

Origin of body plan

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

body plan

It captures a moment when snakes still had hindlimbs, still retained a more lizard-like skull in some respects, and had not yet fully acquired the body plan seen in their modern descendants.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2026

It shows that important elements of their body plan were already established shortly after the Cambrian Explosion, a time when life was rapidly diversifying.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 3, 2026

Instead, their body plan develops from the genes that acorn worms and vertebrates use to develop their heads.

From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2023

A set of molecular markers on a sea star’s genes determine the animal’s body plan, which includes its radial symmetry and organ structure.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 3, 2023

Mutations in genes that specified the basic elements of the body plan were more difficult to identify, since the mutations sharply decreased the survival of organisms.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee