morula

[ mawr-oo-luh, -yoo- ]

/ ˈmɔr ʊ lə, -yʊ- /

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.

Nearby words

morton, jelly roll, morton, levi parsons, morton, william thomas green, mortsafe, mortuary, morula, morulavirus, morus, morvan's disease, morwong, moryah

Origin of morula

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

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

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

Examples from the Web for morula

Morula, mor′ū-la, n. condition of an ovum after complete segmentation: button-scurvy.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M)|Various
A vertebrate ovum in this stage of complete segmentation is called the morula from its resemblance to a mulberry (Fig. 4).
The Anatomy of the Human Peritoneum and Abdominal Cavity|George. S. Huntington
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
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

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

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 Formsmorular, 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

Medicine definitions for morula

morula

[ môr′yə-lə, môr′ə- ]

n. pl. mor•u•lae (-lē′)

The spherical embryonic mass of blastomeres formed before the blastula and resulting from cleavage of the fertilized ovum.

Related formsmor′u•lar adj.mor′u•la′tion (-lā′shən) n.

Science 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.