definitions
  • synonyms

mesoderm

[ mez-uh-durm, mes-, mee-zuh-, -suh- ]
/ ˈmɛz əˌdɜrm, ˈmɛs-, ˈmi zə-, -sə- /
|

noun Embryology.

the middle germ layer of a metazoan embryo.

Nearby words

mesocord, mesocracy, mesocranic, mesocratic, mesocyclone, mesoderm, mesodiastolic, mesodont, mesodontism, mesoduodenum, mesoepididymis

Origin of mesoderm

First recorded in 1870–75; meso- + -derm
Related formsmes·o·der·mal, mes·o·der·mic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mesoderm

British Dictionary definitions for mesoderm

mesoderm

/ (ˈmɛsəʊˌdɜːm) /

noun

the middle germ layer of an animal embryo, giving rise to muscle, blood, bone, connective tissue, etcSee also ectoderm, endoderm
Derived Formsmesodermal or mesodermic, 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

Word Origin and History for mesoderm

mesoderm

n.

1858, from French mésoderme or German Mesoderm, literally "middle skin," coined by German physician Robert Remak (1815-1865) from meso- + Greek derma (see -derm).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for mesoderm

mesoderm

[ mĕz′ə-dûrm′ ]

n.

The middle embryonic germ layer, lying between the ectoderm and the endoderm, from which connective tissue, muscle, bone, and the urogenital and circulatory systems develop.
Related formsmes′o•der′mic adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for mesoderm

mesoderm

[ mĕz′ə-dûrm′ ]

The middle of the three primary germ layers of the embryos of vertebrates and other complex animals. In vertebrates, the mesoderm gives rise to the muscles, bones, cartilage, connective tissue, blood, blood and lymph vessels, dermis, kidneys, and gonads. The mesoderm develops during gastrulation from either the ectoderm or the endoderm. The embryos of simpler animals lack a mesoderm. Compare ectoderm endoderm.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.