gemmule

noun

1. Botany. gemma.
2. Zoology. an asexually produced mass of cells that is capable of developing into an animal, as a freshwater sponge.
3. Evolution. one of the hypothetical living units conceived by Darwin in the theory of pangenesis as the bearers of the hereditary attributes.

noun

1. zoology a cell or mass of cells produced asexually by sponges and developing into a new individual; bud
2. botany a small gemma
3. a small hereditary particle postulated by Darwin in his theory of pangenesis

n.

1. The small bud that projects from the parent cell during gemmation.

1. A small gemma or similar structure, especially a reproductive structure in some sponges that remains dormant through the winter and later develops into a new individual.