trophoblast

noun

tro·​pho·​blast ˈtrō-fə-ˌblast How to pronounce trophoblast (audio)
: the outer layer of the mammalian blastocyst that supplies nutrition to the embryo and facilitates implantation
trophoblastic adjective

Examples of trophoblast 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.
There the trophoblasts divide rapidly, forming projections that radiate into the uterus. Adrian Erlebacher, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2017 Its hollow shell is made of cells that will form the placenta (called trophoblast stem cells, or TSCs) and the yolk sac (the extra-embryonic endoderm, or XEN cells). Philip Ball, Quanta Magazine, 13 June 2023 Less than a week after a sperm fertilizes an egg, specialized cells called trophoblasts emerge on the surface of the embryo. Adrian Erlebacher, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2017

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trophoblast was in 1889

Dictionary Entries Near trophoblast

Cite this Entry

“Trophoblast.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trophoblast. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

trophoblast

noun
tro·​pho·​blast ˈtrō-fə-ˌblast How to pronounce trophoblast (audio)
: the outer layer of the mammalian blastocyst that supplies nutrition to the embryo, facilitates implantation by eroding away the tissues of the uterus with which it comes in contact allowing the blastocyst to sink into the cavity formed in the uterine wall, and differentiates into the extraembryonic membranes surrounding the embryo

called also trophoderm

trophoblastic adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on trophoblast

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!