pronephros

American

[proh-nef-ros, -ruhs] / proʊˈnɛf rɒs, -rəs /

noun

Embryology.

plural

pronephroi, pronephra

one of the three embryonic excretory organs of vertebrates, which becomes the functional kidney of certain primitive fishes.

pronephros British

/ prəʊˈnɛfrɒs /

noun

the first-formed anterior part of the embryonic kidney in vertebrates, which remains functional in the larvae of the lower vertebrates See also mesonephros metanephros

"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

pronephric adjective

Etymology

Origin of pronephros

1875–80; < New Latin < Greek pro- pro- ² + nephrós kidney

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.

There is no trace of a pronephros at all in the rabbit.

From Text Book of Biology, Part 1: Vertebrata by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)

The anterior part of the kidney, called the pronephros, disappears in the later larval stages.

From Text Book of Biology, Part 1: Vertebrata by Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023