coelom
or coe·lome ce·lom
[ see-luh m ]
/ ˈsi ləm /
noun, plural coe·loms, coe·lo·ma·ta [si-loh-muh-tuh] /sɪˈloʊ mə tə/. Zoology.
the body cavity of higher metazoans, between the body wall and intestine, lined with a mesodermal epithelium.
Origin of coelom
1875–80; < Greek
koílōma cavity, equivalent to
koilō-, variant stem of
koiloûn to hollow out (verbal derivative of
koîlos hollow) +
-ma noun suffix denoting result
OTHER WORDS FROM coelom
coe·lom·ic [si-lom-ik, -loh-mik] /sɪˈlɒm ɪk, -ˈloʊ mɪk/, adjectiveWords nearby coelom
Example sentences from the Web for coelom
British Dictionary definitions for coelom
coelom
esp US celom
/ (ˈsiːləʊm, -ləm) /
noun
the body cavity of many multicellular animals, situated in the mesoderm and containing the digestive tract and other visceral organs
Derived forms of coelom
coelomic or esp US celomic (sɪˈlɒmɪk), adjectiveWord Origin for coelom
C19: from Greek
koilōma cavity, from
koilos hollow; see
coel-
Medical definitions for coelom
coelom
n.
The cavity formed by the splitting of the embryonic mesoderm into two layers; in mammals it then forms into the peritoneal, pleural, and pericardial cavities.
Scientific definitions for coelom
coelom
[ sē′ləm ]
The body cavity that forms from the mesoderm during the embryonic development of more complex animals. The coelom suspends the gut in fluid in the middle of the body, protecting it from gravity and allowing great increases in body size. The presence or absence of a coelom is important for the classification of animal phyla. See more at deuterostome protostome.