Metanephric

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to a type of kidney development in vertebrates that occurs during the embryonic stage and gives rise to the adult kidney structures
2. Describing the phase of nephron formation that leads to the mature renal system in certain animals, specifically in their embryonic development
3. Pertaining to the embryological development of kidneys in vertebrates, particularly the transition from early kidney structures to fully formed kidneys in adulthood

Etymology: "Metanephric" describes the kidney in its second developmental stage, the metanephros, which is the permanent kidney that replaces the earlier forms that appear in the embryo. The word combines "metanephros" with the adjectival suffix "-ic", so it means, in effect, "of the metanephros." The first half of the base word is the Greek prefix "meta-", which here signals "after" or "later," while "nephros" means "kidney." Put together, "metanephros" names the kidney that comes after the earlier structures, and the name reflects the order in which the embryonic organs form rather than any feature of their function. Because the term belongs to developmental anatomy, it is used mainly in embryology and medicine, where it distinguishes the later kidney from the pronephros and mesonephros that precede it.

Synonyms: renal, kidney-related, metanephros-related