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

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

As this quantity of food-yelk fills the centre of the ovum before cleavage begins, there is no difference in this respect between the morula and the blastula.

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

The final result of this repeated cleavage is the formation of a globular cluster of similar segmentation-cells, which we call the mulberry-formation or morula.

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