body plan

noun

1. Biology. the basic shape of members of an animal phylum; the general structure each individual organism assumes as it develops. Compare bilateral symmetry, radial symmetry.
2. Naval Architecture. a diagrammatic elevation of a hull, consisting of an end view of the bow on one side of the center line and an end view of the stern on the other side, marked with water lines, diagonals, bow or buttock lines, stations, and sometimes details of the hull.

Word History and Origins

Origin of body plan¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

Our basic body plan is determined early during embryonic development by the formation of three body axes.

From Science Daily

"Douglassarachne acanthopodais a particularly impressive example of one of these extinct forms. The fossil's very spiny legs are reminiscent of some modern harvestmen, but its body plan is quite different from a harvestman or any other known arachnid group."

From Science Daily

This was a groundbreaking adaptation at the time, and one which laid down the basic body plan which most complex animals, including humans, would eventually inherit.

From Science Daily

"The formation of these centralized Golgi ribbons occurs just before gastrulation, which is the developmental stage at which the embryos establish the fate of different tissues and the body plan of the animal," says Ferraro.

From Science Daily

There are over 6,000 living species of frogs known to scientists, as well as countless extinct species — and yet they all contain roughly the same skeletal body plan.

From Salon