Comprehensive
Dictionary Suite
Help
Help
Help
 
       

cell

 
 
pronunciation:
sel
features:
Word Combinations (noun), Homophone Note, Word History, Word Explorer
part of speech: noun
definition 1: a microscopic unit of plant or animal life, usually containing a nucleus and surrounded by a very thin membrane.
 
definition 2: a very small room for a monk, nun, prisoner, or recluse.
definition 3: any small compartment or group within a larger space or group.
a terrorist cell
similar words:
stall
definition 4: a device for generating electricity by chemical means, as in a battery.
similar words:
battery
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
Homophone Note
The words cell and sell sound alike but have different meanings.
Word History
Cell comes from celare, a Latin word that means "to hide." By the 1300s, "cell" meant "small monastery" or "small room." In the late 1300s, it was used for the compartments that the brain was thought to be separated into. The current use of the word "cell" in biology first occurred in 1845.
Word Explorer
grows in cell
includes the study of cells
person who studies cells
some examples of cells
some means for categorizing cells
some parts of cells
some things composed of cells
some things composed of only one cell
some things found in cells
some things that produce cells
some tools for studying cells