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

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

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

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Additionally, because the coelom is a fluid-filled cavity, it protects the organs from shock and compression.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

In some animals, such as mammals, the part of the coelom called the pleural cavity provides space for the lungs to expand during breathing.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

These regions of the coelom end at the ends of the body and communicate with each other by means of a branched system of coelomic sinuses, which are in places very fine tubes.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 7 "Cerargyrite" to "Charing Cross" by Various