1. 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 anlages of the limbs appear early in embryonic development.
• Researchers studied the anlages that would eventually form the nervous system.
• During gastrulation, various anlages begin to differentiate into specialized tissues.
• The cardiac anlages merge to form the primitive heart tube.