coelom
Americannoun
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coeloms,
plural
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coelomata
plural
noun
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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.
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See more at deuterostome protostome
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
Vocabulary lists containing coelom
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The evolution of the coelom is associated with many functional advantages.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
Triploblasts that do not develop a coelom are called acoelomates, and their mesoderm region is completely filled with tissue, although they do still have a gut cavity.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
Primarily, the coelom provides cushioning and shock absorption for the major organ systems.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
A true coelom arises entirely within the mesoderm germ layer and is lined by an epithelial membrane.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
Some of the endothelial cells lining the coelom are ciliated, the cilia keeping the corpusculated fluid contents in movement.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 3 "Borgia, Lucrezia" to "Bradford, John" by Various
Although still functional, these are considered false coeloms, and those animals are called pseudocoelomates.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
