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- Word comparison: blastula vs. gastrula
blastula vs. gastrula
noun
Embryology.
plural blastulas, blastulae
- the early developmental stage of an animal, following the morula stage and consisting of a single, spherical layer of cells enclosing a hollow, central cavity.
noun
Embryology.
plural gastrulas, gastrulae
- a metazoan embryo in an early state of germ layer formation following the blastula stage, consisting of a cuplike body of two layers of cells, the ectoderm and endoderm, enclosing a central cavity, or archenteron, that opens to the outside by the blastopore: in most animals progressing to the formation of a third cell layer, the mesoderm.