morphogenesis

American  

[mawr-fuh-jen-uh-sis] / ˌmɔr fəˈdʒɛn ə sɪs /

noun

Embryology.

1. the development of structural features of an organism or part.

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morphogenesis British  

/ ˌmɔːfəʊˈdʒɛnɪsɪs, ˌmɔːfəʊdʒɪˈnɛtɪk /

noun

1. the development of form and structure in an organism during its growth from embryo to adult

2. the evolutionary development of form in an organism or part of an organism

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morphogenesis Scientific  

/ môr′fō-jĕn′ĭ-sĭs /

1. Formation of the structure of an organism or part involving differentiation and growth of tissues and organs during development.

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Other Word Forms

• morphogenetic adjective
• morphogenic adjective

Etymology

Origin of morphogenesis

First recorded in 1880–85; morpho- + genesis

Example Sentences

Working with one researcher, she helped to solidify a section inspired by Turing’s theory on morphogenesis, which describes how natural patterns such as spirals form.

From Los Angeles Times

It is useful to consider how the egg in which an embryo resides also defines the physical context for morphogenesis.

From Nature

Its existence, Buceta said, “allows you to understand the fundamentals of morphogenesis and development—how cells act together when they’re forming and developing.”

From The New Yorker

And he also, though it is less well known, made an important contribution to chemistry with a paper winningly entitled “The chemical basis of morphogenesis”.

From Economist

Small open reading frames associated with morphogenesis are hidden in plant genomes.

From Nature