GEMMULE


Meaning of GEMMULE in English

ˈje(ˌ)myül noun

( -s )

Etymology: French, from Latin gemmula little bud, diminutive of gemma bud, gem — more at gem

1. : a small plant bud

2. : any of various minute self-multiplying particles considered in the theory of pangenesis to be transmitted from somatic to germ cells and to mediate the production in a new individual of cells like those in which they originated — compare biophore

3. : a bud produced in gemmation ; especially : an internal resistant asexual reproductive body of sponges (as of the genus Spongilla )

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.