Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun, plural blas·te·mas, blas·te·ma·ta [bla-stee-muh-tuh] /blæˈsti mə tə/. Embryology.
- an aggregation of cells in an early embryo, capable of differentiation into specialized tissue and organs.
noun plural -mas or -mata (-mətə)
- a mass of undifferentiated animal cells that will develop into an organ or tissue: present at the site of regeneration of a lost part
1849, Modern Latin, from Greek blastema “offspring, offshoot,” from stem of blastanein “to shoot forth,” from blastos “sprout, germ,” of unknown origin. Related: Blastemal.
n.
- The formative, undifferentiated material from which cells are formed.
- A mass of embryonic cells from which an organ or a body part develops, either in normal development or in the regeneration of a lost body part.