somite /sō″mīt/ [Gk, soma, body] , any of the paired segmented masses of mesodermal tissue that form along the length of the neural tube during the early stage of embryonic development in vertebrates. These structures give rise to the vertebrae and differentiate into various tissues of the body, including the voluntary muscle, bones, connective tissue, and dermal layers of the skin. The first somite to appear is in the future occipital region, and the formation of new somites continues in a caudal direction until 36 to 38 have developed.
