| fetal | Of or pertaining to a foetus, pertaining to in utero development after the embryonic period. (18 Nov 1997) |
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| maternal cotyledon | A unit of the placenta made up of trophoblastic cells, fibrous tissue, and abundant blood vessels, which is visible grossly on the maternal surface as an irregularly shaped lobe circumscribed by a deep cleft and made up of a stem villus with numerous branching free villi and anchoring villi; placental vessels in the chorionic plate supply the stem villus and its branches, allowing gas and metabolite exchange across the trophoblastic layer with maternal blood in the intervillous space; traditionally called clinicians' cotyledon. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cotyledon | <botany> Modified leaf (seed leaf), found as part of the embryo in seeds, involved in either storage or absorption of food reserves. Dicotyledonous seeds contain two, monocotyledonous seeds only one. May appear above ground and show photosynthetic activity in the seedling. (18 Nov 1997) |
| foetal cotyledon | A unit of the foetal placenta supplied by the vessels of a stem villus; several such cotyledon's may occur between two placental septa; traditionally called embryologists' cotyledon. (05 Mar 2000) |