statoblast

[stat-uh-blast]

noun Zoology.

(in certain bryozoans) an asexually produced group of cells encased in a chitinous covering that can survive unfavorable conditions, as freezing or drought, and germinate to produce a new colony.

Origin of statoblast

1850–55; stato- (combining form of Greek statós standing; akin to status, static) + -blast

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for statoblast

Historical Examples of statoblast

The air-cells are unusually large and extend over a great part of the dorsal surface of the statoblast.
Freshwater Sponges, Hydroids & Polyzoa
Nelson Annandale
Oka has described the development from the statoblast of the allied Japanese species.
Freshwater Sponges, Hydroids & Polyzoa
Nelson Annandale

British Dictionary definitions for statoblast

statoblast

noun

zoology an encapsulated bud produced asexually by certain bryozoans that can survive adverse conditions and that gives rise to a new colony

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