notochord

[ noh-tuh-kawrd ]

nounEmbryology.
  1. a rodlike cord of cells that forms the chief axial supporting structure of the body of the lower chordates, as amphioxus and the cyclostomes, and of the embryos of the vertebrates.

Origin of notochord

1
First recorded in 1840–50; noto- + chord1 5 (in the sense of “a cordlike anatomical structure”)

Other words from notochord

  • no·to·chord·al, adjective
  • sub·no·to·chord·al, adjective

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How to use notochord in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for notochord

notochord

/ (ˈnəʊtəˌkɔːd) /


noun
  1. a fibrous longitudinal rod in all embryo and some adult chordate animals, immediately above the gut, that supports the body. It is replaced in adult vertebrates by the vertebral column

Derived forms of notochord

  • notochordal, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for notochord

notochord

[ tə-kôrd′ ]


  1. A flexible rodlike structure that forms the main support of the body in all chordates during some stage of their development. In vertebrates, the notochord develops into a true backbone in the embryonic phase. Primitive chordates, such as lancelets and tunicates, retain a notochord throughout their lives.

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