mesoderm

American  

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

noun

Embryology.

1. the middle germ layer of a metazoan embryo.

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mesoderm British  

/ ˈmɛsəʊˌdɜːm /

noun

1. the middle germ layer of an animal embryo, giving rise to muscle, blood, bone, connective tissue, etc See also ectoderm endoderm

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mesoderm Scientific  

/ mĕz′ə-dûrm′ /

1. 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.

2. Compare ectoderm endoderm

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Other Word Forms

• mesodermal adjective
• mesodermic adjective

Etymology

Origin of mesoderm

First recorded in 1870–75; meso- + -derm

Compare meaning

How does mesoderm compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• mesenchyme vs. mesoderm

Example Sentences

With this unprecedented clarity, the team directly observed two key moments in gastrulation: the first epiblast symmetry-breaking event and the emergence of the molecular markers of the primitive streak and mesoderm upon in vitro attachment.

From Science Daily • Mar. 23, 2024

Moreover, the experiments provide evidence that the vertebrate head mesoderm diverged during the early phases of vertebrate evolution.

From Science Daily • Jan. 10, 2024

If there is little FGF, BMP has a strong effect and heart cells and extraembryonic mesoderm are more likely to develop.

From Science Daily • Sep. 19, 2023

A third group of triploblasts has a slightly different coelom derived partly from mesoderm and partly from endoderm, which is found between the two layers.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

In the Vertebrata the whole of the mesoderm has at first the mesenchyme form.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3 "Electrostatics" to "Engis" by Various