The division of an animal's body into repeated similar units or segments, each containing similar sets of organs or structures. This body plan is characteristic of annelids, arthropods, and chordates, allowing for specialization and efficient movement.
From Greek 'meta' meaning after or beyond and 'meros' meaning part, combined with Latin 'segmentum' meaning a piece cut off. The term describes how the body is organized into repeating units, like cutting a rope into similar segments, recognized when anatomists studied segmented animals.
Metameric segmentation is like biological modularity - it allows animals to evolve specialized segments for different functions while maintaining the basic blueprint! Your spine is a perfect example - each vertebra is basically the same design repeated and modified for different body regions.
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