gastrula

[ gas-troo-luh ]

noun,plural gas·tru·las, gas·tru·lae

[gas-troo-lee]. /ˈgæs trʊˌli/. Embryology.

a metazoan embryo in an early state of germ layer formation following the blastula stage, consisting of a cuplike body of two layers of cells, the ectoderm and endoderm, enclosing a central cavity, or archenteron, that opens to the outside by the blastopore: in most animals progressing to the formation of a third cell layer, the mesoderm.

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Origin of gastrula

From New Latin, dating back to 1875–80; see origin at gastro-, -ule

Other words from gastrula

gas·tru·lar, adjective
pre·gas·tru·lar, adjective

Words Nearby gastrula

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gastrula in a sentence

A view of the gastrula stage after the larva has become fixed is given in fig. 2.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 | Francis Maitland Balfour
At the same time they become clearer and permit a view of the interior of the gastrula.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 | Francis Maitland Balfour
This gastrula is the simplest form of the "person," and the two germinal layers are its sole organs.
The Wonders of Life | Ernst Haeckel
In the further development of the various tissue-forming animals from the gastrula we have to distinguish two principal groups.
The Riddle of the Universe at the close of the nineteenth century | Ernst Haeckel
The two-layered young stage of higher creatures, when it has a free-swimming existence, is called a gastrula (Fig. 6).
Stories of the Universe: Animal Life | B. Lindsay

British Dictionary definitions for gastrula

gastrula

/ (ˈɡæstrʊlə) /

nounplural -las or -lae (-ˌliː)

a saclike animal embryo consisting of three layers of cells (ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm) surrounding a central cavity (archenteron) with a small opening (blastopore) to the exterior: See also ectoderm, mesoderm, endoderm

Origin of gastrula

C19: New Latin: little stomach, from Greek gastēr belly

Derived forms of gastrula

gastrular, 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 gastrula

gastrula

[ găs′trə-lə ]

Plural gastrulas gastrulae (găs′trə-lē′)

An animal embryo at the stage following the blastula. The gastrula develops from the blastula by invagination (inpocketing), forming an inner cavity with an opening and causing the cells to be distributed into an outer layer (ectoderm) and an inner layer (endoderm). In complex animals such as vertebrates, a third layer (mesoderm) also forms. These layers later develop into the organs and tissues of the body. In vertebrates and other deuterostomes, the opening of the gastrula becomes the anus, while in protostomes (such as arthropods), it becomes the mouth.♦ The development of an embryo from blastula to gastrula is called gastrulation. Compare blastula.

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