noun
- plural of anlage; the initial cell grouping or tissue from which an organ or structure develops in an embryo
Usage: biology; embryology; technical
Examples
- The anlagen of the nervous system form early in embryonic development.
- Researchers studied the anlagen that would eventually become the limbs.
- During gastrulation, various anlagen begin to differentiate into specialized tissues.
- The eye anlagen emerge from the forebrain during the third week of human development.