One of the actual or ideal serial segments of which an animal, esp. an articulate or vertebrate, is composed; somatome; metamere.
Greek soma = body, hence an embryonic body segment.
segmental block (ball) of mesoderm formed from paraxial mesoderm adjacent to notochord (axial mesoderm). Differentiates to form initially sclerotome and dermamyotome (then dermotome and myotome (More? Musculoskeletal Notes | Week 3 Notes)
One of a series of paired blocks of mesoderm that form during early development and lie on either side of the notochord in a vertebrate embryo. They give rise to the vertebral column; each somite produces the musculature of one vertebral segment, plus associated connective tissue including that forming the vertebrae to which that musculature is attached.
block of mesodermal cells in a developing embryo; can be distinguished into a myotome (forms most of the skeletal muscles), a dermatome (forms connective tissues), and a sclerotome (forms the vertebrae)
(so´ might) • One of the segments into which an embryo becomes divided longitudinally, leading to the eventual segmentation of the animal as illustrated by the spinal column, ribs, and associated muscles.
one of the series of block-like masses of mesoderm which are arranged as segments alongside the neural tube of the embryo.
one of a series of similar body segments into which some animals are divided longitudinally
A serial segment of the animal body.
A body segment; especially, in vertebrates, a segment in the early embryo.
One of the paired blocklike masses of mesoderm, arranged segmentally alongside the neural tube of the embryo, forming the vertebral column and segmental musculature; called also mesoblastic or mesodermal segment.
One of the longitudinal series of segments into which the body of many animals (including vertebrates) is divided. (Merriam-Webster on line)
In the developing vertebrate embryo, somites (or primitive segments in older texts) are masses of mesoderm distributed along the two sides of the neural tube and that will eventually become dermis (dermatome), skeletal muscle (myotome), and vertebrae (sclerotome). They originate from paraxial mesoderm which, towards the end of the third gestational week, becomes organized into loose masses of cells called somitomeres. Driven by changes in the expression of adhesion molecules, somitomeres compact and bud off to form the somites.