sclerotome /sklir″ətōm/ [Gk, skleros + temnein, to cut] , (in embryology) the part of the segmented mesoderm layer in the early developing embryo that originates from the somites and gives rise to skeletal tissue of the body, specifically the paired segmented masses of mesodermal tissue that lie on each side of the notochord and develop into the vertebrae and ribs. See also somite.
