morula

[ mawr-oo-luh, -yoo- ]

/ ˈmɔr ʊ lə, -yʊ- /

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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.

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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

Morton, Morton Grove, Morton's syndrome, mortsafe, mortuary, morula, Morulavirus, Morvan's disease, morwong, moryah, MOS

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

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

Medical 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.

Other words from morula

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

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.