somite

[ soh-mahyt ]
/ ˈsoʊ maɪt /

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.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

Words nearby somite

somewhere along the line, somewheres, somewhile, somewhither, somewise, somite, somme, sommelier, sommerfeld, somnambulate, somnambulism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for somite

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

Medical definitions for somite

somite
[ sō′mīt′ ]

n.

A segmental mass of mesoderm in the vertebrate embryo, occurring in pairs along the notochord and developing into muscles and vertebrae.
metamere
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.