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

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

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

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

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Webster, Noah

In the growth of this hooded gastrula we cannot sharply mark off the various stages which we distinguish successively in the bell-gastrula as morula and gastrula.

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