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somite

[ soh-mahyt ]

noun

  1. any of the longitudinal series of segments or parts into which the body of certain animals is divided; a metamere.
  2. Embryology. one member of a series of paired segments into which the thickened dorsal zone of mesoderm is divided.


somite

/ səʊˈmɪtɪk; ˈsəʊmaɪt; ˈsəʊmɪtəl /

noun

  1. embryol any of a series of dorsal paired segments of mesoderm occurring along the notochord in vertebrate embryos. It develops into muscle and bone in the adult animal
  2. zoology another name for metamere
“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
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Derived Forms

  • somital, adjective
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Other Words From

  • so·mi·tal [soh, -mi-tl], so·mit·ic [soh-, mit, -ik], adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of somite1

First recorded in 1865–70; som(a) 1 + -ite 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of somite1

C19: from Greek sōma a body
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Example Sentences

Some believe that the vertebrate head has developed as a result of modification of the segmental elements of the trunk, such as the vertebrae and somites.

Together, the current studies provide a remarkable demonstration that simple iPSC culture systems can be used for in-depth analysis of the oscillatory gene expression associated with somite segmentation at single-cell resolution.

From Nature

Non-somite mesoderm treated with Noggin generates many somites that form simultaneously, without cyclic expression of Notch-pathway genes, yet have normal size, shape, and fate.

Besides the five limb-bearing somites just enumerated, two others must now be recognized in the head.

The “growing point” of the trunk is, in fact, situated in front of this region, and, when the full number of somites has been reached, the unsegmented part remaining forms the telson of the adult.

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