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amnion

amnion

9.5
A thin inner bag that surrounds a young animal before it is born or hatched and holds protective fluid
  • noun
  • /ˈæmniən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : amnion
  • Furthermore, the zygote-formed embryos are enveloped by the yolk sac (this part does not develop in the human fetus), amnion, allantois, and chorion.

Examples

  • Once the symbiosis of gestation is at an end, our human entourage forms a second amnion.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The amnion surface epithelial cells do not express HLA A, B, C, or DR or beta2-microglobulin.

    Academic text (2007)
  • And it is face—textual and interpersonal—that drags me out of the amnion and clandestinity of "me" and pushes me into public view.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The amnion is crucial for protecting the developing embryo during pregnancy.

  • In many reptiles, the amnion forms a protective layer around the egg.

  • Doctors can sometimes see the amnion during an ultrasound scan of the fetus.

Synonyms

amniotic sac
vsamnion
  • Specialized
1 4.4

A thin bag that surrounds and protects a developing baby in the womb

refers specifically to the innermost sac enclosing the developing embryo
amnios
vsamnion
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A thin inner sac of fluid that surrounds a developing baby in the womb

is the same term in another form for the same membranous sac
embryonic membrane
vsamnion
  • Specialized
8.1

A thin skin that sometimes covers a baby's head when it is born

is the specific innermost sac rather than a general membrane term

Surface Forms

amnion singular
amnia plural

Etymology

Amnion comes from the old Greek word amnos, which means 'lamb'. Early doctors thought the thin sac around a developing animal looked like a lamb's covering, so amnion now means the thin sac that protects the embryo.