Metazoa

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Metazoa \Met`a*zo"a\, n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? after + zo^,on an
     animal.] (Zool.)
     Those animals in which the protoplasmic mass, constituting
     the egg, is converted into a multitude of cells, which are
     metamorphosed into the tissues of the body. A central cavity
     is commonly developed, and the cells around it are at first


     arranged in two layers, -- the ectoderm and endoderm. The
     group comprises nearly all animals except the Protozoa.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  metazoan
       n : any animal of the subkingdom Metazoa; all animals except
           protozoans and sponges
       [also: {metazoa} (pl)]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Metazoa
       n : multicellular animals having cells differentiated into
           tissues and organs and usually a digestive cavity and
           nervous system [syn: {subkingdom Metazoa}]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  metazoa
       See {metazoan}