coelom

or coe·lome ce·lom

[ see-luhm ]

noun,plural coe·loms, coe·lo·ma·ta [si-loh-muh-tuh]. /sɪˈloʊ mə tə/. Zoology.
  1. the body cavity of higher metazoans, between the body wall and intestine, lined with a mesodermal epithelium.

Origin of coelom

1
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

Other words from coelom

  • coe·lom·ic [si-lom-ik, -loh-mik], /sɪˈlɒm ɪk, -ˈloʊ mɪk/, adjective

Words Nearby coelom

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How to use coelom in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for coelom

coelom

esp US celom

/ (ˈsiːləʊm, -ləm) /


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

Origin of coelom

1
C19: from Greek koilōma cavity, from koilos hollow; see coel-

Derived forms of coelom

  • coelomic or esp US celomic (sɪˈlɒmɪk), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for coelom

coelom

[ 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. See more at deuterostome protostome.

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