mesonephros

[ mez-uh-nef-ros, mes-, mee-zuh-, -suh- ]

/ ˌmɛz əˈnɛf rɒs, ˌmɛs-, ˌmi zə-, -sə- /

noun, plural mes·o·neph·roi [mez-uh-nef-roi, mes-, mee-zuh-, -suh-] /ˌmɛz əˈnɛf rɔɪ, ˌmɛs-, ˌmi zə-, -sə-/. Embryology.

one of the three embryonic excretory organs of vertebrates, becoming the functional kidney of fishes and amphibians and becoming part of the tubules or ductules in the reproductive systems of higher vertebrates.

Nearby words

meson, mesonephric duct, mesonephric fold, mesonephric ridge, mesonephroma, mesonephros, mesoneuritis, mesopause, mesopeak, mesopelagic, mesopelagic zone

Compare metanephros, pronephros.

Origin of mesonephros

1875–80; < New Latin, equivalent to meso- meso- + Greek nephrós kidney

Related formsmes·o·neph·ric, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mesonephros

The pronephros is distinguished from the mesonephros by developmental as well as structural features.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume III (of 4)|Francis Maitland Balfour
The differentiation of a posterior section of the mesonephros into a special gland foreshadowing the metanephros of the Amniota.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume III (of 4)|Francis Maitland Balfour
The anterior portion of the mesonephros is much reduced in size in correlation with the fact that it has lost its renal function.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 3|Various
While the lumen is gradually being formed, the segmental tubes of the mesonephros become established.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume III (of 4)|Francis Maitland Balfour

The mesonephros of the larva disappears, and a fresh posterior part is formed.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume III (of 4)|Francis Maitland Balfour

British Dictionary definitions for mesonephros

mesonephros

/ (ˌmɛsəʊˈnɛfrɒs) /

noun

the middle part of the embryonic kidney in vertebrates, becoming the adult kidney in fishes and amphibians and the epididymis in reptiles, birds, and mammalsSee also pronephros, metanephros

Derived Formsmesonephric, adjective

Word Origin for mesonephros

C19: New Latin, from meso- + Greek nephros kidney

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 mesonephros

mesonephros

[ mĕz′ə-nĕf′rəs, -rŏs′ ]

n. pl. mes•o•neph•roi (-nĕf′roi′)

The second of the three excretory organs that develop in a vertebrate embryo, replaced by the metanephros in higher vertebrates.wolffian body

Related formsmes′o•neph′ric adj.