Lexic.us

Definition of Gemmule

1. Noun. The physically discrete element that Darwin proposed as responsible for heredity.

Definition of Gemmule

1. n. A little leaf bud, as the plumule between the cotyledons.

Definition of Gemmule

1. Noun. (biology) A small gemma or bud of dormant embryonic cells produced by some freshwater sponges ¹

2. Noun. (obsolete) A hypothetical particle once thought to be the basis of heredity ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Gemmule

1. a small gemma [n -S]

Medical Definition of Gemmule

1. 1. A little leaf bud, as the plumule between the cotyledons. One of the buds of mosses. One of the reproductive spores of algae. An ovule. 2. A bud produced in generation by gemmation. One of the imaginary granules or atoms which, according to Darwin's hypothesis of pangenesis, are continually being thrown off from every cell or unit, and circulate freely throughout the system, and when supplied with proper nutriment multiply by self-division and ultimately develop into cells like those from which they were derived. They are supposed to be transmitted from the parent to the offspring, but are often transmitted in a dormant state during many generations and are then developed. See Pangenesis. Origin: L. Gemmula, dim. Of gemma: cf. F. Gemmule. See Gem. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Gemmule

Literary usage of Gemmule

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Journal of Morphology by Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology (1891)
"The increase in size of the gemmule takes place by means of cell growth and division, and by the fusion of neighboring small gemmules. ..."

2. The Tree-lifter, Or, a New Method of Transplanting Forest Trees by George Greenwood (1876)
"... an instance of a garden bean getting the head of its first gemmule below the wire ; though, when the head was engaged above, the stalk would bow down, ..."

3. Selected Essays on Syphilis and Small-pox: Translations and Reprints from by Alfred Ernest Russell (1906)
"... Organism and gemmule-formation.—In general structure the protoplasm of the cytoplasmic form is very simple. It is finely granular, and, apart from the ..."

4. Elementary Lessons in Zoology: A Guide in Studying Animal Life and Structure by James George Needham (1895)
"The axes of these spicules are directed toward the center of the gemmule, so that, on looking at the surface of the gemmule, only the radiate disks on the ..."

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