gemmule
Botany. gemma (def. 2).
Zoology. an asexually produced mass of cells that is capable of developing into an animal, as a freshwater sponge.
Evolution. one of the hypothetical living units conceived by Darwin in the theory of pangenesis as the bearers of the hereditary attributes.
Origin of gemmule
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use gemmule in a sentence
Some of the gemmules are often much smaller than the others.
Freshwater Sponges, Hydroids & Polyzoa | Nelson AnnandaleIn order that each living creature may be thus furnished, the number of such gemmules in each must be inconceivably great.
On the Genesis of Species | St. George MivartFor how can gemmules attach themselves to others to which they do not normally or generally succeed?
On the Genesis of Species | St. George MivartMr. Darwin himself is, of course, fully aware that there must be some limit to this aggregation of gemmules.
On the Genesis of Species | St. George MivartNo creature can possess such gemmules unless it inherits them from its parents, grandparents, or its less remote ancestors.
On the Genesis of Species | St. George Mivart
British Dictionary definitions for gemmule
/ (ˈdʒɛmjuːl) /
zoology a cell or mass of cells produced asexually by sponges and developing into a new individual; bud
botany a small gemma
a small hereditary particle postulated by Darwin in his theory of pangenesis
Origin of gemmule
1Collins 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 gemmule
[ jĕm′yōōl ]
A small gemma or similar structure, especially a reproductive structure in some sponges that remains dormant through the winter and later develops into a new individual.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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