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blastema

 - 5 dictionary results

blas⋅te⋅ma

  [bla-stee-muh]
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–noun, plural -mas, -ma⋅ta  [-muh-tuh] . Embryology.
an aggregation of cells in an early embryo, capable of differentiation into specialized tissue and organs.
Origin:
1840–50; < NL < Gk blástēma (blastē- verbid s. of blasteîn to sprout + -ma n. suffix denoting result of action)

Related forms:
blas⋅te⋅mal, blas⋅te⋅mat⋅ic  [blas-tuh-mat-ik] , blas⋅te⋅mic  [bla-stee-mik, -steem-ik] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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blas·te·ma   (blā-stē'mə)   
n.   pl. blas·te·mas or blas·te·ma·ta (-mə-tə)

  1. The formative, undifferentiated material from which cells are formed.

  2. A mass of embryonic cells from which an organ or a body part develops, either in normal development or in the regeneration of a lost body part.


[Greek blastēma, offspring, sprout, from blastos, bud.]
blas·te'mal, blas'te·mat'ic (blās'tə-māt'ĭk), blas·te'mic (blā-stē'mĭk) 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: blas·te·ma
Pronunciation: bla-'stE-m&
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural blas·te·mas or blas·te·ma·ta /-m&t-&/
: a mass of living substance capable of growth and differentiation —blas·te·mat·ic /"blas-t&-'mat-ik/ or blas·te·mic /bla-'stE-mik, -'stem-ik/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

blastema blas·te·ma (blā-stē'mə)
n.

  1. The formative, undifferentiated material from which cells are formed.

  2. A mass of embryonic cells from which an organ or a body part develops, either in normal development or in the regeneration of a lost body part.

blas·te'mal or blas'te·mat'ic (blās'tə-māt'ĭk) or blas·te'mic (blā-stē'mĭk) 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

blastema

in zoology, a mass of undifferentiated cells that has the capability to develop into an organ or an appendage. In lower vertebrates the blastema is particularly important in the regeneration of severed limbs. In the salamander, for example, tissues in the stump of a limb dedifferentiate-that is, they lose their individual characteristics-and revert to an embryonic appearance. Under the influence of regenerating nerve fibres, they will form a blastema, a mound of cells resembling the original limb bud, from which the replacement limb gradually emerges.

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

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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