morula

noun

mor·​u·​la ˈmȯr-(y)ə-lə How to pronounce morula (audio)
ˈmär-
plural morulae ˈmȯr-(y)ə-ˌlē How to pronounce morula (audio)
-ˌlī,
ˈmär-
 also morulas
: a globular solid mass of blastomeres formed by cleavage of a zygote that typically precedes the blastula
morular
ˈmȯr-(y)ə-lər How to pronounce morula (audio)
ˈmär-
adjective
morulation
ˌmȯr-(y)ə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce morula (audio)
ˌmär-
noun

Examples of morula in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Su and her colleagues were able to characterize the RNA into five distinct genetic profiles or time periods of embryonic development: the oocyte or egg, zygote or fertilized egg, cleavage, morula and blastocyst stages. —Deborah Balthazar, STAT, 17 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin (in a German context), from Latin mōrum "black mulberry, blackberry" + New Latin -ula (as in gastrula, planula) — more at mulberry

Note: The term was introduced by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) in Die Kalkschwämme, Band 1 (Berlin, 1872), p. 112: "Der Organismus der Kalkschwämme bildet zunächst, nachdem er den monoplastiden Zustand der Eizelle durch die Befruchtung der letzeren überwunden und sich durch die vollbrachte 'Furchtung' des Eies von der ersten zur zweiten Individualitäts-Ordnung erhoben hat, die sogenannte 'Maulbeer-Form' oder 'Brombeer-Form,' welche wir ein für allemal als Morula bezeichnen wollen." ("After the calcareous-sponge organism goes beyond the undifferentiated condition of the egg cell through fertilization, and through completed 'cleavage' of the egg has risen from the first to the second rank of individuality, it forms at first the so-called 'mulberry-form' or 'blackberry-form,' which we will designate once and for all as the morula.")

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of morula was in 1875

Dictionary Entries Near morula

Moru

morula

Morus

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Morula.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morula. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Medical Definition

morula

noun
mor·​u·​la ˈmȯr-(y)ə-lə, ˈmär- How to pronounce morula (audio)
plural morulae -ˌlē, -ˌlī How to pronounce morula (audio)
: a globular solid mass of blastomeres formed by cleavage of a zygote that typically precedes the blastula compare gastrula
morular
-lər How to pronounce morula (audio)
adjective
morulation
ˌmȯr-(y)ə-ˈlā-shən, ˌmär- How to pronounce morula (audio)
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on morula

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about morula

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