gastrulation

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noun

The stage of embryo development at which a gastrula is formed from the blastula by the inward migration of cells.

UncommonScrabble 13

Meanings

noungastrulation (plural gastrulations)

plural gastrulations

  1. biologyThe stage of embryo development at which a gastrula is formed from the blastula by the inward migration of cells.

    The study of comparative embryology, nevertheless, would lead us to expect to find this germ layer arising by a process of gastrulation.

    1909, John Thomas Patterson, Gastrulation in the Pigeon's Egg, University of Chicago, page 66
    2 more examples

    1929, Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of Sciences, Volumes 13-19, South Dakota Academy of Science, page 52, In the instances described by various observers and in the quadruple one described herein, these gastrulations no doubt began at different times, since the embryos are of different sizes.

    2020, Konner M. Winkley, et al., 8: Tunicate Gastrulation, Lilianna Solnica-Krezel (editor), Gastrulation, Elsevier (Academic Press), page 227, Pharmacological inhibition of RhoA at later steps of gastrulation causes the apical constrictions to relax, indicating a persistent requirement for this pathway.

Origin

  1. GermanGastrulation
  2. Englishgastrulation

From German Gastrulation, coined by Ernst Haeckel in his 1872 work "Biology of Calcareous Sponges" (see also gastrula).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French gastrulation
  • gastrulationstage of embryo development
German Gastrulation
  • Gastrulationstage of embryo development
Italian gastrulazione
  • gastrulazionestage of embryo development
Romanian gastrulație
  • gastrulațiestage of embryo development
Swedish gastrulation
  • gastrulationstage of embryo development
Cite this entry
APA

gastrulation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gastrulation

MLA

“gastrulation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gastrulation. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gastrulation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gastrulation.

Source: gastrulation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.