somite (redirected from somitic)

somite /so·mite/ (so´mīt) one of the paired, blocklike masses of mesoderm, arranged segmentally alongside the neural tube of the embryo, forming the vertebral column and segmental musculature.

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so·mite (smt)

n.

1. A segmental mass of mesoderm in the vertebrate embryo, occurring in pairs along the notochord and developing into muscles and vertebrae.

2. See metamere.

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somite

[sō′mīt]

Etymology: Gk, soma, body

any of the paired segmented masses of mesodermal tissue that form along the length of the neural tube during the early stage of embryonic development in vertebrates. These structures give rise to the vertebrae and differentiate into various tissues of the body, including the voluntary muscle, bones, connective tissue, and dermal layers of the skin. The first somite to appear is in the future occipital region, and the formation of new somites continues in a caudal direction until 36 to 38 have developed.

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somite

one of the paired block-like masses of mesoderm beside the neural tube of a vertebrate embryo, formed by transverse subdivision, that develop into the vertebral column, skin and muscles of the body.