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somite

[ soh-mahyt ]
/ ˈsoʊ maɪt /
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noun
any of the longitudinal series of segments or parts into which the body of certain animals is divided; a metamere.
Embryology. one member of a series of paired segments into which the thickened dorsal zone of mesoderm is divided.
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Origin of somite

First recorded in 1865–70; som(a)1 + -ite1

OTHER WORDS FROM somite

so·mi·tal [soh-mi-tl], /ˈsoʊ mɪ tl/, so·mit·ic [soh-mit-ik], /soʊˈmɪt ɪk/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use somite in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for somite

somite
/ (ˈsəʊmaɪt) /

noun
embryol any of a series of dorsal paired segments of mesoderm occurring along the notochord in vertebrate embryos. It develops into muscle and bone in the adult animal
zoology another name for metamere

Derived forms of somite

somital (ˈsəʊmɪtəl) or somitic (səʊˈmɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for somite

C19: from Greek sōma a body
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
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