gastrulas

Variant of gastrula

noun pl. gastrulae or gastrulas

an embryo in an early stage of development, consisting of a sac with two layers, the ectoderm and endoderm, enclosing a central cavity, the archenteron, that opens to the outside through the blastopore

Origin: ModL, dim. < Gr gastēr, the stomach

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
link/cite print suggestion box