blastula
[ blas-chuh-luh ]
/ ˈblæs tʃə lə /
noun, plural blas·tu·las, blas·tu·lae [blas-chuh-lee] /ˈblæs tʃəˌli/. Embryology.
the early developmental stage of an animal, following the morula stage and consisting of a single, spherical layer of cells enclosing a hollow, central cavity.
Compare
blastocyst.
Origin of blastula
OTHER WORDS FROM blastula
blas·tu·lar, adjective blas·tu·la·tion [blas-chuh-ley-shuh n] /ˌblæs tʃəˈleɪ ʃən/, nounWords nearby blastula
blastopor,
blastopore,
blastosphere,
blastospore,
blastostyle,
blastula,
blastulation,
blasé,
blat,
blatant,
blate
Example sentences from the Web for blastula
British Dictionary definitions for blastula
blastula
/ (ˈblæstjʊlə) /
noun plural -las or -lae (-liː)
an early form of an animal embryo that develops from a morula, consisting of a sphere of cells with a central cavity
Also called: blastosphere
Derived forms of blastula
blastular, adjectiveWord Origin for blastula
C19: New Latin; see
blasto-
Medical definitions for blastula
blastula
[ blăs′chə-lə ]
n. pl. blas•tu•las
An early embryonic form produced by cleavage of a fertilized ovum and consisting of a spherical layer of cells surrounding a fluid-filled cavity.
Other words from blastula
blas′tu•lar adj. blas′tu•la′tion (-lā′shən) n.Scientific definitions for blastula
blastula
[ blăs′chə-lə ]
Plural blastulas blastulae (blăs′chə-lē′)
An animal embryo at the stage immediately following the division of the fertilized egg cell, consisting of a ball-shaped layer of cells around a fluid-filled cavity known as a blastocoel. Compare gastrula. See also blastocyst.
Cultural definitions for blastula
blastula
[ (blas-chuh-luh) ]
The stage of an embryo that consists of just over a hundred cells — a stage reached about one week after fertilization. At this stage the cells are just at the very beginning of cellular differentiation and are said to be totipotent (See totipotency).
notes for blastula
This is the stage of development where
embryonic stems cells can be harvested for medical research.