Medical term:

cleavage


cleavage

 [klēv´ij]
1. division into distinct parts.
2. the early successive splitting of a fertilized ovum (zygote) into smaller cells (blastomeres) by mitosis.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

cleav·age

(klēv'ij),
1.
See also: cleavage division.
See also: Langer lines, tension lines. Synonym(s): intermammary cleft
2. Series of mitotic cell divisions occurring in the oocyte immediately following its fertilization.
See also: cleavage division.
See also: Langer lines, tension lines. Synonym(s): segmentation (2)
3. Splitting of a complex molecule into two or more simpler molecules.
See also: Langer lines, tension lines. Synonym(s): scission (2)
4. Linear clefts in the skin indicating extrinsic stresses being applied in that area.
See also: Langer lines, tension lines.
5. The tendency of a crystal to break along a preferred direction or plane.
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

cleavage

(klē′vĭj)
n.
1. Embryology
a. The series of mitotic cell divisions that produces a blastula from a fertilized ovum. It is the basis of the multicellularity of complex organisms. Also called segmentation.
b. Any single cell division in such a series.
2. Chemistry The splitting of a complex molecule, such as a polysaccharide, into simpler molecules.
The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2007, 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

cleavage

Embryology
The mitotic divisions of a zygote (fertilised egg) to form a blastomere (cleavage cells).
 
Vox populi
The act of splitting or cleaving.
Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

cleav·age

(klēv'ăj)
1. Series of mitotic cell divisions occurring in the oocyte immediately after its fertilization.
See also: cleavage division
2. Splitting of a complex molecule into two or more simpler molecules.
Synonym(s): scission (2) .
3. Linear clefts in the skin indicating the direction of the fibers in the dermis.
See also: cleavage lines
Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012

cleavage

1. The process of splitting, especially the repeated stages of cell division that produce a BLASTULA from an ovum that has been fertilized by a spermatozoon.
2. The breaking down of a complex molecule into smaller parts.
3. The vertical furrow between a woman's breasts visible when low-cut garments are worn.
Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005
Cleavageclick for a larger image
Fig. 109 Cleavage . Radial and spiral cleavage.

cleavage

the division of the cytoplasm during nuclear division (see MEIOSIS, MITOSIS following FERTILIZATION of the egg to form the ZYGOTE. Holoblastic cleavage occurs in animals where there is little yolk, and here the entire zygote is involved; meroblastic cleavage occurs where the yolky part of the zygote fails to divide, only part of the zygote undergoing cleavage. BILATERAL CLEAVAGE gives rise to a bilaterally symmetrical arrangement of blastomeres, as opposed to spiral cleavage which gives rise to a spiral arrangement of blastomeres. Bilateral cleavage occurs in chordates, echinoderms and a few smaller groups, indicating their common origins whereas most other invertebrate phyla have spiral cleavage.
Collins Dictionary of Biology, 3rd ed. © W. G. Hale, V. A. Saunders, J. P. Margham 2005

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