meroblastic
|me-ro-blas-tic|
/ˌmɛrəˈblæstɪk/
partial (egg) cleavage
Etymology
'meroblastic' originates from Greek roots: 'meros' meaning 'part' and 'blastos' meaning 'bud, germ', combined in Neo-Latin scientific formation.
'meroblastic' was formed in scientific Neo-Latin/modern scientific usage (19th century onward) by combining the prefix 'mero-' (from Greek 'meros') with '-blastic' (from Greek 'blastos') to describe partial ('part') cleavage; this formation then entered English technical vocabulary as 'meroblastic'.
Initially formed to denote something 'related to a partial blast or germ', it evolved into the specific embryological sense 'having partial (egg) cleavage' used in modern biology.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
describing a type of embryonic cleavage in which only part of the egg undergoes division (typical of eggs with a large yolk, as in birds, reptiles, and many fishes).
Bird embryos exhibit meroblastic cleavage during early development.
Last updated: 2025/09/09 19:55