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

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. 2023

How to use somite in a sentence

Ventral tentacular cirrus of second somite of a thin or foliaceous and asymmetrical form.
Journal of Entomology and Zoology, Vol. 11. No. 1.|Various
General color yellowish; each somite of anterior region crossed transversely by two fine complete lines of reddish brown color.
Journal of Entomology and Zoology, Vol. 11. No. 1.|Various
Telson, tel′son, n. the last somite of the pleon or abdomen of certain crustaceans and arachnidans.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various
The heart would probably be long and tubular, with a pair of ostia for each somite.
The Appendages, Anatomy, and Relationships of Trilobites|Percy Edward Raymond

The two cavities in the cephalic commissure unite dorsally, but ventrally open into the first somite of the trunk.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume II (of 4)|Francis Maitland Balfour

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