gastrula
[ gas-troo-luh ]
/ ˈgæs trʊ lə /
noun, plural gas·tru·las, gas·tru·lae [gas-troo-lee] /ˈgæs trʊˌli/. Embryology.
a metazoan embryo in an early state of germ layer formation following the blastula stage, consisting of a cuplike body of two layers of cells, the ectoderm and endoderm, enclosing a central cavity, or archenteron, that opens to the outside by the blastopore: in most animals progressing to the formation of a third cell layer, the mesoderm.
OTHER WORDS FROM gastrula
gas·tru·lar, adjective pre·gas·tru·lar, adjectiveWords nearby gastrula
gastrotomy,
gastrotonometry,
gastrotrich,
gastrotropic,
gastrovascular,
gastrula,
gastrulate,
gastrulation,
gasworks,
gat,
gat-toothed
Example sentences from the Web for gastrula
British Dictionary definitions for gastrula
gastrula
/ (ˈɡæstrʊlə) /
noun plural -las or -lae (-ˌliː)
Derived forms of gastrula
gastrular, adjectiveWord Origin for gastrula
C19: New Latin: little stomach, from Greek
gastēr belly
Medical definitions for gastrula
gastrula
[ găs′trə-lə ]
n. pl. gas•tru•las
An embryo at the stage following the blastula, consisting of a hollow, two-layered sac of ectoderm and endoderm surrounding an archenteron that communicates with the exterior through the blastopore.
Scientific definitions for gastrula
gastrula
[ găs′trə-lə ]
Plural gastrulas gastrulae (găs′trə-lē′)
An animal embryo at the stage following the blastula. The gastrula develops from the blastula by invagination (inpocketing), forming an inner cavity with an opening and causing the cells to be distributed into an outer layer (ectoderm) and an inner layer (endoderm). In complex animals such as vertebrates, a third layer (mesoderm) also forms. These layers later develop into the organs and tissues of the body. In vertebrates and other deuterostomes, the opening of the gastrula becomes the anus, while in protostomes (such as arthropods), it becomes the mouth.♦ The development of an embryo from blastula to gastrula is called gastrulation. Compare blastula.