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.

---

morula British  

/ ˈmɒrjʊlə /

noun

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

---

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.

---

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

At this stage of development, called the morula, there are 30-60 cells.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Sometimes, Ramos can wait for the embryo to become a morula, which looks like a blackberry, or a blastula, which looks like a soccer ball, before transferring the embryo to the woman's uterus.

From Slate • May 23, 2012

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 Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3 "Electrostatics" to "Engis" by Various

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

From The Mechanism of Life by Leduc, Stéphane

As in the case of the fish-ovum, these segmentation-cells form a round, lens-shaped disk, which corresponds to the morula, and is embedded in a small depression of the white yelk.

From The Evolution of Man — Volume 1 by Haeckel, Ernst Heinrich Philipp August