Definition of "morula" [‖Mor•u•la]

• The spherical embryonic mass of blastomeres formed before the blastula and resulting from cleavage of the fertilized ovum. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "5 The process is repeated again and again, so that the two cells are succeeded by four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, and so on, with the result that a mass of cells is found within the zona striata, and to this mass the term morula is applied (Fig. 9)."
• "A solid mass of cells is formed at the beginning, called a morula, Figure 1."
• "This is called the morula (= mulberry-embryo) on account of its resemblance to a mulberry or blackberry."