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primordium

American  
[prahy-mawr-dee-uhm] / praɪˈmɔr di əm /

noun

Embryology.
primordia plural
  1. the first recognizable, histologically differentiated stage in the development of an organ.


primordium British  
/ praɪˈmɔːdɪəm /

noun

  1. biology an organ or part in the earliest stage of development

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

These embryonic pluripotent cells within the facial primordium -- the early development form -- may be necessary for forming proper facial structures.

From Science Daily Apr. 11, 2024

Published online December 13 in Current Biology, the new work reveals how the cells in the primordium use a protein called RhoA to trigger forces that move the group into place in the developing embryo.

From Science Daily Dec. 13, 2023

"Our findings suggest that RhoA-induced actin flow on the basal sides of cells constitutes the motor that pulls the primordium forward, a scenario that likely underlies the movement of many cell groups," added Dr. Knaut.

From Science Daily Dec. 13, 2023

The current study found that the cells in the primordium instead activate RhoA in pulses in the front of the cells where it does two jobs.

From Science Daily Dec. 13, 2023

These pits are not isolated, but are connected by an ectodermal ridge, which grows in at the margin of the mantle and forms a continuous band somewhat resembling the ectodermal primordium of vertebrate teeth.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 3 "Borgia, Lucrezia" to "Bradford, John" by Various

Our data indicate that mature LTi cell numbers regulate the size of SLO primordia and may determine lymphoid organ size in adulthood.

From Nature Apr. 4, 2014

Bach was able to do this, and what emerged in the current were primordia in music.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

The particles of this "fire mist," as it is appropriately called, were the true primordia rerum,—the elements of the universe,—the principles of all the forms of inorganic matter and all organic things.

From A Theory of Creation: A Review of 'Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation' by Bowen, Francis

If the primordia of these organs are exposed to altered conditions of nutrition at a sufficiently early stage a complete substitution of one organ for another is effected.

From Darwin and Modern Science by Seward, A. C. (Albert Charles)

A minute rounded mass appears in the center of the flower, perhaps primordia of abortive stamens, but this does not develop further.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 43rd Annual Meeting Rockport, Indiana, August 25, 26 and 27, 1952 by Northern Nut Growers Association

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