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Glite Dictionary
🧬 A heredity particle 🌱 A tiny bud
gemmule

gemmule

9.9
A small bud in sponges or plants that grows into a new individual
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒɛm.juːl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : gemmule
  • Under favorable conditions, each gemmule can develop into a fully formed adult sponge.

Examples

  • The sponge released numerous gemmules to reproduce and create new sponges in the surrounding water.

  • Scientists observed that gemmules from different species have distinct structures and functions.

  • The gemmules can change in type and number in response to environmental conditions in the tissues.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The gemmules, including those with acquired changes, are transported by the bloodstream to the sex organs and there assemble into the gametes.

    Academic text (1993)

Synonyms

gemma
vsgemmule
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small part of some mosses or liverworts that breaks off and grows into a new plant

is a broader small reproductive bud found in sponges and some plants
propagule
vsgemmule
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A part of a plant, like a seed or cutting, that can grow into a new plant

is specific to small buds in sponges and some plants rather than any propagative part

Surface Forms

gemmule singular
gemmules plural

Morphology

gemmule = gemma (opaque) = gemm + ule

The word is formed with a Latin diminutive and denotes a technical biological structure; learners unfamiliar with the botanical term 'gemma' will not reliably derive the meaning.

Etymology

Gemmule comes from the Latin gemma meaning 'bud' and the small ending -ule, so it literally means 'little bud'. In sponges and some plants, a gemmule is a small reproductive part that can grow into a new individual, so the origin explains the word's modern use for these tiny buds.