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

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

Origin of mesoderm

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

Related forms

mes·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

The mesoderm is, if we may judge from the number of organs which are derived from it, much the most important of the three layers.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3|Various
Ahlborn, in 1884, drew a sharp distinction between the segments of the mesoderm and those of the endoderm.
The Origin of Vertebrates|Walter Holbrook Gaskell
The dorsal mesentery in fishes, amphibia and reptiles contains smooth muscular fibers derived from the mesoderm.
The Anatomy of the Human Peritoneum and Abdominal Cavity|George. S. Huntington
Between the Ectoderm and Endoderm lies an intermediate layer the Mesoderm.
Stories of the Universe: Animal Life|B. Lindsay

The mesoderm furnishes the skeletal, muscular and vascular systems.
The Anatomy of the Human Peritoneum and Abdominal Cavity|George. S. Huntington

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 Forms

mesodermal 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

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 forms

mes′o•der′mic adj.

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.