notochord

[ noh-tuh-kawrd ]

/ ˈnoʊ təˌkɔrd /

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noun Embryology.

a rodlike cord of cells that forms the chief axial supporting structure of the body of the lower chordates, as amphioxus and the cyclostomes, and of the embryos of the vertebrates.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of notochord

First recorded in 1840–50; noto- + chord¹ 5 (in the sense of “a cordlike anatomical structure”)

OTHER WORDS FROM notochord

no·to·chord·al, adjectivesub·no·to·chord·al, adjective

Words nearby notochord

not lift a finger, not miss a trick, not move a muscle, not my cup of tea, noto-, notochord, Notogaea, Notogaean, not one iota, not one's day, this is, not oneself

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use notochord in a sentence

Moreover, both these authors, as also His, seem to have mistaken the opaque streak spoken of above for the notochord.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
This, however, is not the case, and the notochord does not make its appearance till somewhat later.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
The notochord (ch) has begun to be formed, though its separation from the rest of the mesoblast is not as yet very distinct.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
So that it is clear that the medullary streak is not the notochord, as was thought to be the case by the authors above mentioned.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour

In fig. 7b, the most anterior of the two, the notochord has become quite separated from the hypoblast.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour

British Dictionary definitions for notochord

notochord

/ (ˈnəʊtəˌkɔːd) /

noun

a fibrous longitudinal rod in all embryo and some adult chordate animals, immediately above the gut, that supports the body. It is replaced in adult vertebrates by the vertebral column

Derived forms of notochord

notochordal, adjective

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

Scientific definitions for notochord

notochord

[ nō′tə-kôrd′ ]

A flexible rodlike structure that forms the main support of the body in all chordates during some stage of their development. In vertebrates, the notochord develops into a true backbone in the embryonic phase. Primitive chordates, such as lancelets and tunicates, retain a notochord throughout their lives.