Anlage (Noun)
Meaning
An organ in its earliest stage of development; the foundation for subsequent development.
Classification
Nouns denoting body parts.
Examples
- The embryonic anlage of the heart formed from a fold in the lateral mesoderm.
- During fetal development, the anlage of the lungs emerges as a pair of diverticula from the pharynx.
- The anlage of the limbs develops from the proliferation of cells in the mesenchyme.
- In the development of the nervous system, the anlage of the brain and spinal cord arises from the neural plate.
- The anlage of the eye forms from the lateral ectoderm and begins to differentiate into distinct structures shortly after formation.