Metameros

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing an organism made up of repeated segments arranged in a linear series ; relating to each segment possessing similar structure and function ; applying to the pattern of serial repetition in body parts across the length of an animal
2. Pertaining to a form organized into multiple connected units of similar design ; indicating a linear sequence of repeated anatomical divisions ; characterizing the repetitive segmentation of an organism’s body plan
3. Referring to a structural arrangement where body parts are divided into repetitive segments ; denoting the presence of repeated modules each with analogous features ; identifying the segmented nature of certain living beings with repeating units along their bodies

Etymology: Metameros comes from ancient Greek, where "meros" meant "part" or "share" and "meta-" added the sense of "after" or "beyond." Words built this way were a standard tool for Greek naturalists describing anatomy and structure, and "metamerous" in English is a technical adjective used mainly in zoology and botany to describe bodies built from repeated, similar units. The most familiar example is the earthworm, whose body is a chain of near-identical rings, each with its own set of organs. Biologists call these units metameres, and the same repeated-segment pattern appears in insects, in the vertebrate spine, and in the leaves and stem nodes of many plants.

Synonyms: segmented, metameric, somitic

Antonyms: unsegmented