ectoderm

American  

[ek-tuh-durm] / ˈɛk təˌdɜrm /

noun

Embryology.

1. the outer germ layer in the embryo of a metazoan.

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ectoderm British  

/ ˈɛktəʊˌdɜːm /

noun

1. the outer germ layer of an animal embryo, which gives rise to epidermis and nervous tissue See also mesoderm endoderm

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ectoderm Scientific  

/ ĕk′tə-dûrm′ /

1. The outermost of the primary germ layers of an animal embryo. In vertebrates, the ectoderm gives rise to the epidermis and associated tissues (such as hair and sweat glands), enamel of the teeth, sense organs, nervous system, and lining of the nose, mouth, and anus.

2. Compare endoderm mesoderm

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Other Word Forms

• ectodermal adjective
• ectodermic adjective
• ectodermoidal adjective
• subectodermal adjective
• subectodermic adjective

Etymology

Origin of ectoderm

First recorded in 1860–65; ecto- + -derm

Example Sentences

Surface ectoderm is a dense sheet of epidermal progenitors, which gives rise to the surface covering of the body, such as skin, and the associated features of teeth, hair and fingernails.

From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2024

Moreover, the developmental pathway through surface ectoderm state to amniotic ectoderm state was also observed in primate embryos.

From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2024

The researchers tested variations in the culture media but cell density was the only factor that influenced the cell fate choice between amniotic ectoderm and surface ectoderm.

From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2024

The mesoderm is the third germ layer; it forms between the endoderm and ectoderm in triploblasts.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Here there is always found at the lips of the blastopore, and extending for a short distance inwards as enteric lining, a certain amount of tissue, which by its characters must be regarded as ectoderm.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3 "Electrostatics" to "Engis" by Various

Related Words

• fur
• leather
• skin
• wool