Embryonated
Encyclopedia
Embryonated, Unembryonated and De-embryonated are terms generally used in referring to eggs or, in botany
, to seeds. Practitioners in various fields use the words confusingly in unconnected contexts, rather as professional jargon
than as universally applicable terms or concepts. Examples of relevant fields in which the words are useful, include reproductive biology
of many organisms, virology
and other aspects of microbiology
, parasitology
(in particular studies dealing with endoparasitic "helminths" of various phyla
), entomology
, and poultry
husbandry. Since the words are widely used in the various disciplines, there seems to be little present prospect of replacing them with universal, definitive, and distinct terms.
", "not having an embryo", and "having lost an embryo", and they most often refer to eggs. In Merriam-Webster
the earliest known use of the term "embryonated" dates from 1687,http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embryonated and Oxford give a reference dating from 1669, so the concept has long been seen as significant.
to mean embryonated, or as a noun
to mean an embryonated item, one containing an embryo as in: "We selected only the embryonates and discarded the rest."
Embryonate also can be used as an intransitive verb meaning to develop an embryo or to develop as an embryo, as in: "In 2-4 weeks after deposition in soil, they embryonate if the soil conditions are suitable (humid and warm) and are infectious. The eggs can survive months before embryonation if soil conditions are not appropriate."
by insects for example.
And:
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, to seeds. Practitioners in various fields use the words confusingly in unconnected contexts, rather as professional jargon
Jargon
Jargon is terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, group, or event. The philosophe Condillac observed in 1782 that "Every science requires a special language because every science has its own ideas." As a rationalist member of the Enlightenment he...
than as universally applicable terms or concepts. Examples of relevant fields in which the words are useful, include reproductive biology
Reproductive system
The reproductive system or genital system is a system of organs within an organism which work together for the purpose of reproduction. Many non-living substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones are also important accessories to the reproductive system. Unlike most organ systems, the sexes...
of many organisms, virology
Virology
Virology is the study of viruses and virus-like agents: their structure, classification and evolution, their ways to infect and exploit cells for virus reproduction, the diseases they cause, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their use in research and therapy...
and other aspects of microbiology
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
, parasitology
Parasitology
Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question, but by their way of life...
(in particular studies dealing with endoparasitic "helminths" of various phyla
Phylum
In biology, a phylum The term was coined by Georges Cuvier from Greek φῦλον phylon, "race, stock," related to φυλή phyle, "tribe, clan." is a taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class. "Phylum" is equivalent to the botanical term division....
), entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
, and poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
husbandry. Since the words are widely used in the various disciplines, there seems to be little present prospect of replacing them with universal, definitive, and distinct terms.
Literal meaning
Literally the terms respectively mean "having an embryoEmbryo
An embryo is a multicellular diploid eukaryote in its earliest stage of development, from the time of first cell division until birth, hatching, or germination...
", "not having an embryo", and "having lost an embryo", and they most often refer to eggs. In Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster
Merriam–Webster, which was originally the G. & C. Merriam Company of Springfield, Massachusetts, is an American company that publishes reference books, especially dictionaries that are descendants of Noah Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language .Merriam-Webster Inc. has been a...
the earliest known use of the term "embryonated" dates from 1687,http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embryonated and Oxford give a reference dating from 1669, so the concept has long been seen as significant.
Embryonate
The term embryonate can be used as an adjectiveAdjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
to mean embryonated, or as a noun
Noun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
to mean an embryonated item, one containing an embryo as in: "We selected only the embryonates and discarded the rest."
Embryonate also can be used as an intransitive verb meaning to develop an embryo or to develop as an embryo, as in: "In 2-4 weeks after deposition in soil, they embryonate if the soil conditions are suitable (humid and warm) and are infectious. The eggs can survive months before embryonation if soil conditions are not appropriate."
De-embryonate
De-embryonate refers to the removal of embryos from seeds or similar reproductive units, typically in physiological studies As is true of embryonate, it can be either verb, noun or adjective, according to context. In some contexts the term "embryonectomy" may be used.. Loss of the embryo also may result from the activity of Seed predationSeed predation
Seed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores feed on the seeds of plants as a main or exclusive food source, in many cases leaving the seeds damaged and not viable...
by insects for example.
Classes of usage
The variety of such usage invites confusion with various classes of unfertilised eggs and trophic eggs. Contexts include:Virology
- * In virology eggs of domestic poultry are used for culturingMicrobiological cultureA microbiological culture, or microbial culture, is a method of multiplying microbial organisms by letting them reproduce in predetermined culture media under controlled laboratory conditions. Microbial cultures are used to determine the type of organism, its abundance in the sample being tested,...
animal disease viruses of various kinds for such purposes as investigation of their types and quantity, or for isolation or vaccine production. Viruses generally can propagate only in live cells, so only a fertilised egg with a good supply of growing embryonic tissue is useful. Practitioners call such an egg embryonated as opposed to merely fertilised. The presence of just a few initial cells after fertilisation would not be enough for their purposes.
Entomology
- * In entomology an egg sometimes is called unembryonated until it contains a visibly segmented embryo. An unembryonated egg might be a trophic egg, probably (but not necessarily) unfertilised or at least infertile. Such an egg will not contain a viable zygoteZygoteA zygote , or zygocyte, is the initial cell formed when two gamete cells are joined by means of sexual reproduction. In multicellular organisms, it is the earliest developmental stage of the embryo...
. Alternatively "unembryonated" might refer to an egg that is "immature", not yet well into the process of development, and very likely will take a long time to hatch, as opposed to eggs that are laid partly incubated and ready to hatch soon after, or even at the time of oviposition.
- * Also in entomology "unembryonated" can describe an empty shell, such as a nit, the egg of a louse that has already hatched. However, the latter usage is only in unusual contexts. For exampleHead louseThe head louse is an obligate ectoparasite of humans. Head lice are wingless insects spending their entire life on human scalp and feeding exclusively on human blood...
, consider this quote: ‘We have, ... come to reserve the term "nit" for the hatched and empty egg shell and refer to the developing embryonated egg as an "egg"’.
Helminthology
- * In helminthologyHelminthologyHelminthology is the study of worms, especially parasitic worms. This field deals with the study of their taxonomy and the effect on their hosts....
in the context of parasitologyParasitologyParasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question, but by their way of life...
the state of development of an egg is often relevant to particular phases of the life cycle, and commonly the visible presence of an embryo is an important criterion for egg "maturity". For illustration, consider the following statement from a caption (out of context): "...Immature eggs are discharged in the biliary ducts and in the stool. Eggs become embryonated in water, eggs release miracidia..."
Another example from Parasitology
- * Consider yet another example of different usage; at the time of writing, a glossary of Principles of Parasitologyhttp://www.biology.ualberta.ca/parasites/parpub/text/text/glossarE.htm gives:
- embryonated: an egg containing a fully developed embryo.
And:
-
- embryonation: the processes of development of an embryo from a fertilized egg.