| forekidney | 1. The definitive excretory organ of primitive fishes. Synonym: head kidney. 2. In the embryos of higher vertebrates, a vestigial structure consisting of a series of tortuous tubules emptying into the cloaca by way of the primary nephric duct; in the human embryo, the pronephros is a very rudimentary and temporary structure, followed by the mesonephros and still later by the metanephros. Synonym: forekidney, primordial kidney. Origin: pro-+ G. Nephros, kidney (05 Mar 2000) |
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