gastrula
/ˈɡæstɹələ/ noun
Forms gastrulas gastrulae
- noun (embryology) A stage in the development of embryos of most animals consisting of a three-layered sac of ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm.
Etymology
From German Gastrula, coined by Ernst Haeckel in his 1872 work "Biology of Calcareous Sponges". From gastr- (from Ancient Greek γαστήρ (gastḗr, “stomach”) + Latin -ula.
Webster’s 1913
- noun An embryonic form having its origin in the invagination or pushing in of the wall of the planula or blastula (the blastosphere) on one side, thus giving rise to a double-walled sac, with one opening or mouth (the blastopore) which leads into the cavity (the archenteron) lined by the inner wall (the hypoblast). See Illust.
- noun Of or pertaining to a gastrula.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “gastrula”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details