somite
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so·mite
(sō′mīt′)n.
1. Any of the homologous segments that compose the body of certain animals, such as earthworms and lobsters, and are arranged in a longitudinal series.
2. A segmental mass of mesoderm in the vertebrate embryo, occurring in pairs along the notochord and developing into muscles and vertebrae.
[Greek sōma, body; see soma1 + -ite.]
so·mit′ic (sō-mĭt′ĭk) adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
somite
(ˈsəʊmaɪt)n
1. (Zoology) 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) zoology another name for metamere
[C19: from Greek sōma a body]
somital, somitic adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
so•mite
(ˈsoʊ maɪt)n.
1. any of the longitudinal series of segments or parts into which the body of certain animals is divided; a metamere.
2. one of the thickened segments of tissue that occur in pairs along the back of the vertebrate embryo.
[1865–70; < Greek sôm(a) body]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. |  somite - one of a series of similar body segments into which some animals are divided longitudinallysegment - one of the parts into which something naturally divides; "a segment of an orange" |
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