morula

American  

[mawr-oo-luh, -yoo-] / ˈmɔr ʊ lə, -yʊ- /

noun

Embryology.

plural

morulas, morulae

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

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morula British  

/ ˈmɒrjʊlə /

noun

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

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morula Scientific  

/ môr′yə-lə /

plural

morulae

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

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Other Word Forms

• morular adjective
• premorular adjective
• pseudomorular adjective

Etymology

Origin of morula

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

Compare meaning

How does morula compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• morula vs. blastula

Example Sentences

Further analysis of those iPS cells showed that, compared to in vitro iPS cells, their gene expression more closely resembled that observed in embryos at an early stage of development called the morula.

From Scientific American

That stage in the development of the ovum in which the outer cells of the morula become more defined and form the blastoderm.

From Project Gutenberg

This mass is termed by embryologists “the morula.”

From Project Gutenberg

Later, the protoplasm becomes segregated around each of the nuclei, giving the parasite a mulberry-like aspect; hence this stage is frequently known as a morula.

From Project Gutenberg

As a consequence of this superficial concentration we get segmentation of the vitellus, with the production of a morula.

From Project Gutenberg