Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

embryology

American  
[em-bree-ol-uh-jee] / ˌɛm briˈɒl ə dʒi /

noun

plural

embryologies
  1. the science dealing with the formation, development, structure, and functional activities of embryos.

  2. the origin, growth, and development of an embryo.

    the embryology of the chick.


embryology British  
/ ˌɛmbrɪəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, ˌɛmbrɪˈɒlədʒɪ /

noun

  1. the branch of science concerned with the study of embryos

  2. the structure and development of the embryo of a particular organism

"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

embryology Scientific  
/ ĕm′brē-ŏlə-jē /
  1. The scientific study of embryos and their development.


embryology Cultural  
  1. The study of the embryo; a major field of research in modern biology.


Other Word Forms

  • embryologic adjective
  • embryological adjective
  • embryologically adverb
  • embryologist noun

Etymology

Origin of embryology

First recorded in 1840–50; embryo- + -logy

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.

Centuries of embryology and morphology laid the groundwork for the discipline of developmental biology.

From Scientific American

To detect whether these shapes came from an ancestral bat wing or evolved independently, Sears and her colleagues investigated the embryology of different bat species and the genes responsible for the tissue's development.

From Scientific American

Elliot is an impulsive, hair-down type, who is more excited about pushing scientific and ethical boundaries with a cutting-edge embryology lab than about providing compassionate care.

From Los Angeles Times

It also has multiple teams working in parallel on problems of computational biology, cellular engineering, stem cell reprogramming, embryology, protein engineering and animal husbandry, among other focuses.

From Scientific American

Looking for a solution to this problem, Cajal turned to embryology—also known as ontogeny—which he had first read about in a college textbook.

From Scientific American