planula Meaning, Definition & Usage
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noun the flat ciliated free-swimming larva of hydrozoan coelenterates
WordNet
Plan"u*la noun
Etymology
L., a little plane.Wordforms
Definitions
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(Biol.) In embryonic development, a vesicle filled with fluid, formed from the morula by the divergence of its cells in such a manner as to give rise to a central space, around which the cells arrange themselves as an envelope; an embryonic form intermediate between the morula and gastrula. Sometimes used as synonymous with gastrula .now usu. gastrula -
(Zoöl.) The very young, free-swimming larva of the coelenterates. It usually has a flattened oval or oblong form, and is entirely covered with cilia.