morula

[ mawr-oo-luh, -yoo- ]

/ ˈmɔr ʊ lə, -yʊ- /

Save This Word!

noun, plural mor·u·las, mor·u·lae

[mawr-oo-lee, -yoo-]. /ˈmɔr ʊˌli, -yʊ-/. Embryology.

the mass of cells resulting from the cleavage of the ovum before the formation of a blastula.

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of morula

1855–60; <New Latin, equivalent to Latin mōr(um) mulberry + -ula-ule

OTHER WORDS FROM morula

mor·u·lar, adjectivepre·mor·u·lar, adjectivepseu·do·mor·u·lar, adjective

Words nearby morula

mortmain, Morton, Morton Grove, mortsafe, mortuary, morula, morwong, moryah, MOS, mosaic, mosaic disease

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

How to use morula in a sentence

This stage is called the morula (“mulberry,” which it somewhat resembles in shape).
The Riddle of the Universe at the close of the nineteenth century|Ernst Haeckel
We called this accumulation of cells the mulberry state (Morula), because it resembles a mulberry or blackberry.
The History of Creation, Vol. II (of 2)|Ernst Haeckel
This morula, as I have called it, reproduces the next stage in the development of life.
The World's Greatest Books - Volume 15 - Science|Various
As a consequence of this superficial concentration we get segmentation of the vitellus, with the production of a morula.
The Mechanism of Life|Stphane Leduc

Without the foreground—that is itself strongly purpled by the banks of the flor morula—all is purple and mystic.
Uruguay|W. H. Koebel

British Dictionary definitions for morula

morula

/ (ˈmɒrjʊlə) /

noun plural -las or -lae (-ˌliː)

embryol a solid ball of cells resulting from cleavage of a fertilized ovum

Derived forms of morula

morular, adjective

Word Origin for morula

C19: via New Latin, diminutive of Latin morum mulberry, from Greek moron

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

Scientific definitions for morula

morula

[ môr′yə-lə ]

Plural morulae (môr′yə-lē′)

The spherical embryonic mass of blastomeres that results from cleavage of the fertilized ovum and develops into the blastula.