epiboly

e·pib·o·ly  (-pb-l)

n.

The growth of a rapidly dividing group of cells around a more slowly dividing group of cells, as in the formation of a gastrula.

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[Greek epibol, a throwing or laying on, from epiballein, to throw on : epi-, epi- + ballein, to throw; see g^wel- in Indo-European roots.]

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epi·bolic (p-blk) adj.

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epiboly [ɪˈpɪbəlɪ]

n pl -lies

(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) Embryol a process that occurs during gastrulation in vertebrates, in which cells on one side of the blastula grow over and surround the remaining cells and yolk and eventually form the ectoderm

[from Greek epibolē a laying on, from epiballein to throw on, from epi- + ballein to throw]

epibolic  [ˌɛpɪˈbɒlɪk] adj

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epiboly

the growth of part of an organism in such a way that it overlays or surrounds another. — epibolic, adj.

See also: Growth