intramembranous
- adjective
- /ˌɪntrəˈmɛmbrənəs/
- Specialized
- During intramembranous ossification, bone forms directly within a membrane without a cartilage precursor.
Examples
-
Meckel's cartilage grows back to meet a primary jaw joint and becomes enveloped by intramembranous bone.
Academic text (2003) -
The majority of the skull bones and the clavicle develop through intramembranous ossification, in which the bones are formed directly from an embryonic tissue known as mesenchyme.
Academic text (2006) -
The majority of the skull bones form through intramembranous ossification, resulting in a rapid and direct process of bone development.
-
In intramembranous ossification, mesenchyme differentiates into bone, contributing to the formation of the flat bones of the skull.
Surface Forms
Morphology
intramembranous = intramembrane (transparent) = intra + membran + ous
The suffix '-ous' forms an adjective from 'intramembrane'.
Etymology
Intramembranous is made of intra- 'within' and membrane 'thin layer'. So intramembranous means something that happens inside a membrane, for example when parts of the skull form inside a thin layer during growth.