mesonephros

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

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

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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.

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Compare metanephros, pronephros.

Origin of mesonephros

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

OTHER WORDS FROM mesonephros

mes·o·neph·ric, adjective

Words nearby mesonephros

mesomerism, mesometeorology, mesomorph, mesomorphic, meson, mesonephros, mesopause, mesopeak, mesopelagic, mesopelagic zone, mesophile

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mesonephros in a sentence

The Wolffian body, which may be also called the mesonephros.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume III (of 4)|Francis Maitland Balfour
The different parts do not, however, appear to have the same morphological significance as those in the mesonephros.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
It may be noted that in Lepidosteus the whole pronephros has exactly the character of a single segmental tube of the mesonephros.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|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

Owing to the formation of the accessory tubuli the segments of the mesonephros acquire a compound character.
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 forms of mesonephros

mesonephric, 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