holoblastic
|ho-lo-blas-tic|
🇺🇸
/ˌhoʊləˈblæstɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌhɒləˈblæstɪk/
entire egg divides completely
Etymology
'holoblastic' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the combining forms 'holo-' (from 'holos' meaning 'whole') and '-blastic' (from 'blastos' meaning 'germ; sprout').
'holoblastic' was formed in 19th‑century scientific English from the elements 'holo-' and '-blastic' (ultimately from Ancient Greek 'holos' and 'blastos') and became the modern English word 'holoblastic'.
Initially, it carried the literal sense 'relating to the whole germ/sprout,' but it became specialized in embryology to mean 'characterized by complete cleavage of the egg.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
in embryology, describing cleavage in which the entire egg divides completely into distinct blastomeres (complete cleavage).
Amphibians typically exhibit holoblastic cleavage during early development.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/11 06:39