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ECTODERM

 - 5 dictionary results

ec⋅to⋅derm

  [ek-tuh-durm]
Use ECTODERM in a Sentence
–noun Embryology.
the outer germ layer in the embryo of a metazoan.
Also called ectoblast.

Origin:
1860–65; ecto- + -derm

Related forms:
ec⋅to⋅der⋅mal, ec⋅to⋅der⋅mic, adjective
ec⋅to⋅der⋅moi⋅dal  [ek-toh-der-moid-l] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ec·to·derm   (ěk'tə-dûrm')   
n.  

  1. The outermost of the three primary germ layers of an embryo, from which the epidermis, nervous tissue, and, in vertebrates, sense organs develop.

  2. The outer layer of a diploblastic animal, such as a jellyfish.

ec'to·der'mal, ec'to·der'mic adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ec·to·derm
Pronunciation: 'ek-t&-"d&rm
Function: noun
1 : the outermost of the three primary germ layers of anembryo
2 : a tissue (as neural tissue) derived from ectoderm —ec·to·der·mal /"ek-t&-'d&r-m&l/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

ectoderm ec·to·derm (ěk'tə-dûrm')
n.
The outermost of the three primary germ layers of an embryo, from which the epidermis, nervous tissue, and sense organs develop. Also called ectoblast.

ec'to·der'mal or ec'to·der'mic adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

ectoderm

the outermost of the three germ layers, or masses of cells, which appears early in the development of an animal embryo. In vertebrates, ectoderm subsequently gives rise to hair, skin, nails or hooves, and the lens of the eye; the epithelia (surface, or lining, tissues) of sense organs, the nasal cavity, the sinuses, the mouth (including tooth enamel), and the anal canal; and nervous tissue, including the pituitary body and chromaffin tissue (clumps of endocrine cells). In adult cnidarians and ctenophores, the body-covering tissue, or epidermis, is occasionally called ectoderm. See also endoderm; mesoderm.

Learn more about ectoderm with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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