gemmule
noun
gem·mule ˈjem-(ˌ)yül 
: a small bud:
a
: a theoretical particle proposed in the theory of pangenesis that is shed by a somatic cell and contains all the information necessary to reproduce that cell type (as in an offspring)
b
: a reproductive bud produced by freshwater and some marine sponges that consists of a usually hardened aggregate of cells
Word History
Etymology
French, from Latin gemmula, diminutive of gemma
First Known Use
circa 1828, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
gemmule
noun
gem·mule ˈjem-(ˌ)yü(ə)l
1
: a theoretical particle in the theory of pangenesis that is shed by a somatic cell and contains all the information necessary to reproduce that cell type (as in an offspring)
2
: a minute thorny process of a nerve-cell dendrite