notochord

[ noh-tuh-kawrd ]
/ ˈnoʊ təˌkɔrd /

noun Embryology.

a rodlike cord of cells that forms the chief axial supporting structure of the body of the lower chordates, as amphioxus and the cyclostomes, and of the embryos of the vertebrates.

Origin of notochord

1840–50; noto- + chord1 (in the sense of ‘a cordlike anatomical structure’)

OTHER WORDS FROM notochord

no·to·chord·al, adjective sub·no·to·chord·al, adjective

Words nearby notochord

notional, notionate, notions, notitia, noto-, notochord, notogaea, notogaean, notoriety, notorious, notornis

Example sentences from the Web for notochord

British Dictionary definitions for notochord

notochord
/ (ˈnəʊtəˌkɔːd) /

noun

a fibrous longitudinal rod in all embryo and some adult chordate animals, immediately above the gut, that supports the body. It is replaced in adult vertebrates by the vertebral column

Derived forms of notochord

notochordal, adjective

Medical definitions for notochord

notochord
[ nō′tə-kôrd′ ]

n.

A flexible rodlike structure that forms the main support of the body in the lowest chordates; a primitive backbone.
A similar structure in embryos of higher vertebrates, from which the spinal column develops.

Other words from notochord

no′to•chord′al adj.

Scientific definitions for notochord

notochord
[ nō′tə-kôrd′ ]

A flexible rodlike structure that forms the main support of the body in all chordates during some stage of their development. In vertebrates, the notochord develops into a true backbone in the embryonic phase. Primitive chordates, such as lancelets and tunicates, retain a notochord throughout their lives.