coe·lom also ce·lom or coe·lome (s  l m)n. The cavity within the body of all animals higher than the coelenterates and certain primitive worms, formed by the splitting of the embryonic mesoderm into two layers. In mammals it forms the peritoneal, pleural, and pericardial cavities. Also called body cavity. [German Koelom, from Greek koil  ma, cavity, from koilos, hollow; see keu- in Indo-European roots.]coe·lom ic (s -l mk, -lmk) adj. |
| coelom (slm) The body cavity that forms from the mesoderm during the embryonic development of more complex animals. The coelom suspends the gut in fluid in the middle of the body, protecting it from gravity and allowing great increases in body size. The presence or absence of a coelom is important for the classification of animal phyla. See more at deuterostomeprotostome |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  coelom - a cavity in the mesoderm of an embryo that gives rise in humans to the pleural cavity and pericardial cavity and peritoneal cavity |
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