coelom

American  

[see-luhm] / ˈsi ləm /

Or coelome

noun

Zoology.

plural

coeloms, coelomata

1. the body cavity of higher metazoans, between the body wall and intestine, lined with a mesodermal epithelium.

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coelom British  

/ -ləm, sɪˈlɒmɪk, ˈsiːləʊm /

noun

1. the body cavity of many multicellular animals, situated in the mesoderm and containing the digestive tract and other visceral organs

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coelom Scientific  

/ sē′ləm /

1. The body cavity that forms from the mesoderm during the embryonic development of more complex animals. The coelom suspends the gut in fluid in the middle of the body, protecting it from gravity and allowing great increases in body size. The presence or absence of a coelom is important for the classification of animal phyla.

2. See more at deuterostome protostome

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Other Word Forms

• coelomic adjective

Etymology

Origin of coelom

1875–80; < Greek koílōma cavity, equivalent to koilō-, variant stem of koiloûn to hollow out (verbal derivative of koîlos hollow) + -ma noun suffix denoting result

Example Sentences

A true coelom arises entirely within the mesoderm germ layer and is lined by an epithelial membrane.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Organs housed within the coelom can grow and move freely, which promotes optimal organ development and placement.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Eucoelomates have the same tissue layers as acoelomates, but a cavity called a coelom exists within the mesoderm.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

These animals are thought to have evolved from coelomates and may have lost their ability to form a coelom through genetic mutations.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

These spaces make up the apparent body-cavity, the true body-cavity or coelom having been, for the most part, obliterated by the great expansion of the blood-containing spaces.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7 "Crocoite" to "Cuba" by Various