bursa of Fabricius

bursa of Fa·bri·cius

noun \-fə-ˈbrish(-ē)-əs\

Definition of BURSA OF FABRICIUS

: a blind glandular sac that opens into the cloaca of birds and functions in B cell production

Biographical Note for BURSA OF FABRICIUS

Fabricius, Johann Christian (1745–1808), Danish entomologist. Fabricius was one of the outstanding entomologists of his time. A student of Carolus Linnaeus, he is known for his extensive taxonomic research that led to his classifying insects according to the structure of their mouthparts and not of their wings. His entomological classification was first published in 1775 followed by another work a year later. Eventually he named and described about 10,000 insects. He is also remembered for his views on evolution. He held that new species and varieties could arise through hybridization and by environmental influences on structure and function.