archigastrula
|ar-chi-gas-tru-la|
🇺🇸
/ˌɑr.kɪˈɡæstrʊlə/
🇬🇧
/ˌɑː.kɪˈɡæstrʊlə/
primary, early gastrula stage
Etymology
'archigastrula' originates from Greek-derived scientific formation: the prefix 'archi-' (from Greek 'arkhi-' meaning 'primary, chief') combined with 'gastrula' (from Greek 'gastēr' meaning 'stomach' with the diminutive suffix '-ula'), used in New Latin/Modern scientific terminology.
'gastrula' was formed in New Latin from Greek roots related to 'stomach' and came into scientific English as 'gastrula'; combining it with the prefix 'archi-' produced 'archigastrula' to denote the 'primary/early gastrula' stage.
Initially the components literally meant 'primary little stomach,' but over time the compound 'archigastrula' came to denote a specific early gastrulation stage in embryology rather than a literal 'little stomach.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an early embryonic stage (a primitive gastrula) in which the embryo is organized into two primary cell layers and the primitive gut (archenteron) and blastopore begin to form; observed in some invertebrates and other animals during gastrulation.
Under the microscope the biologists observed the embryo entering the archigastrula stage.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/06 21:02