epitrichium

American  

[ep-i-trik-ee-uhm] / ˌɛp ɪˈtrɪk i əm /

noun

Embryology.

plural

epitrichiums

1. the outermost layer of the epidermis in most mammalian fetuses, usually disappearing before birth.

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Other Word Forms

• epitrichial adjective

Etymology

Origin of epitrichium

1880–85; < New Latin epi- + -trichium < Greek tríchion, diminutive of thríx hair ( trichion ); so called because hair develops under it in human embryos

Example Sentences

These last form a single superficial layer of flattened cells—the epitrichium—overlaying the cells of the Malpighian layer, which are cylindrical in shape and rapidly increase to form several layers.

From Project Gutenberg