notochord

notochord /no·to·chord/ (not´o-kord) a rod-shaped cord of cells on the dorsal aspect of an embryo, defining the primitive axis of the body and serving as the center of development of the axial skeleton; it is the common factor of all chordates.

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no·to·chord (nt-kôrd)

n.

1. A flexible rodlike structure that forms the main support of the body in the lowest chordates; a primitive backbone.

2. A similar structure in embryos of higher vertebrates, from which the spinal column develops.

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noto·chordal adj.

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notochord (nō´tkôrd´),

n an elongated strip of mesodermal tissue that originates from the primitive node and extends along the dorsal surface of the developing embryo beneath the neural tube, forming the primary longitudinal skeletal axis of the body of all chordates.

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notochord

a cylindrical cord of cells on the dorsal aspect of an embryo, marking its longitudinal axis; a defining characteristic of all chordates. It is the center of development of the axial skeleton. Its remnants in adult mammals are found in the pulpy centers of the intervertebral disks.