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pronephros

(prō nef′räs)

noun

Zool. a primitive kidney, the most anterior of three pairs of renal organs, functional only during embryonic development in most lower vertebrates, and appearing only transiently in the human embryo

Origin: ModL < pro-, pro- + Gr nephros, kidney: see nephro-

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pronephric adjective

See pronephros in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun pl. pro·neph·roi (-roi) or pro·neph·ra (-rə)

A kidneylike organ, being either part of the most anterior pair of three pairs of organs in a vertebrate embryo, disappearing early in the embryonic development of higher vertebrates, but functioning as a kidney in some simple vertebrates, such as the lamprey.

Origin:

Origin: pro-²

Origin: + Greek nephros, kidney

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