gastrula
noun
gas·tru·la
ˈga-strə-lə 
plural gastrulas or gastrulae
ˈga-strə-ˌlē
-ˌlī
-ˌlī
: an early metazoan embryo in which the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm are established either by invagination of the blastula (as in fish and amphibians) to form a multilayered cellular cup with a blastopore opening into the archenteron or by differentiation of the blastodisc (as in reptiles, birds, and mammals) and inward cellular migration compare blastula, morula
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“Gastrula.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gastrula. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gastrula
noun
gas·tru·la
ˈgas-trə-lə
plural gastrulas or gastrulae
-ˌlē
-ˌlī
: a cup-shaped three-layered early embryo formed from the blastula by the movement of layers of cells to establish the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm
Medical Definition
gastrula
noun
gas·tru·la
ˈgas-trə-lə
: an early metazoan embryo in which the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm are established either by invagination of the blastula (as in fish and amphibians) to form a multilayered cellular cup with a blastopore opening into the archenteron or (as in reptiles, birds, and mammals) by differentiation of the upper layer of the blastodisc into the ectoderm and the lower layer into the endoderm and by the inward migration of cells through the primitive streak to form the mesoderm compare morula
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