metazoan

English - English

Definition of metazoan in English English dictionary

Any animal that undergoes development from an embryo stage with three tissue layers, namely the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. The term applies to all animals except the sponges

Having to do with animals that develop from an embryo with three tissue layers

any animal of the subkingdom Metazoa; all animals except protozoans and sponges

One of the Metazoa

Hyphenation

met·a·zo·an

Synonyms

metazoic

Etymology

[ -'zO-&n ] (noun.) 1884. Metazoa +‎ -an