mesoglea

American  

[mez-uh-glee-uh, mes-, mee-zuh-, -suh-] / ˌmɛz əˈgli ə, ˌmɛs-, ˌmi zə-, -sə- /

Or mesogloea

noun

1. the noncellular, gelatinous material between the inner and outer body walls of a coelenterate or sponge.

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mesoglea British  

/ ˌmɛsəʊˈɡliːə /

noun

1. the gelatinous material between the outer and inner cellular layers of jellyfish and other coelenterates

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Other Word Forms

• mesogleal adjective

Etymology

Origin of mesoglea

1885–90; < New Latin mesogloea, equivalent to meso- meso- + Greek gloía glue

Example Sentences

There is also no circulatory system, so nutrients must move from the cells that absorb them in the lining of the gastrovascular cavity through the mesoglea to other cells.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Both the medusa and polyp have two tissue layers, with mesoglea in between.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

With two fine metal picks, he began to perforate the medusa’s mesoglea, the gelatinous tissue that composes the bell.

From New York Times • Nov. 28, 2012

It lay limp, crippled, its mesoglea torn, the bell deflated.

From New York Times • Nov. 28, 2012

A living jellyfish has three layers: an outer epidermis, an inner gastric lining and, appropriately, a translucent jelly-like middle layer called mesoglea.

From Scientific American • Jul. 25, 2012