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primordium

[prahy-mawr-dee-uh m]
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noun, plural pri·mor·di·a [prahy-mawr-dee-uh] /praɪˈmɔr di ə/. Embryology.
  1. the first recognizable, histologically differentiated stage in the development of an organ.
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Origin of primordium

1665–75; < Latin prīmōrdium, in plural: beginnings, elementary stage, equivalent to prīm(us) first (see prime) + ōrd(īrī) to begin + -ium -ium; cf. exordium
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

commencementoriginstartbirthdawningprimordium

Examples from the Web for primordia

Historical Examples

  • It does not therefore follow, because these primordia semina rerum are not discoverable, that therefore they may not exist.

    An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4)

    William Kirby

  • No wonder that at a time of such turbulence fine society also should have shown the primordia of a great change.

British Dictionary definitions for primordia

primordium

noun plural -dia (-dɪə)
  1. biology an organ or part in the earliest stage of development
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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
primordia in Medicine

primordium

(prī-môr′dē-əm)
n. pl. pri•mor•di•a (-dē-ə)
  1. An aggregation of cells in the embryo indicating the first trace of an organ or structure.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.