Cell

How it is used

The most basic word in biology. It appears in compounds such as cell biology, cell division, cell culture and cell line. Organisms are unicellular (one cell) or multicellular (many cells). The adjective is cellular.

Example sentences

1. Mature red blood cells in mammals have no nucleus.

2. We counted the cells under the microscope before seeding the plates.

Common collocations

• cell biology
• cell division
• cell line
• plant cell
• animal cell

Related terms

• organismAny individual living thing, such as a bacterium, a mushroom, a tree or a human, that can grow, reproduce and respond to its environment.
• nucleusThe large structure in a eukaryotic cell that holds most of its DNA and controls the cell's activities. It is surrounded by a double membrane called the nuclear envelope.
• cell membraneThe thin, flexible layer that surrounds every cell and controls what enters and leaves it. It is built mainly from a double layer of phospholipids with proteins set into it.
• organelleA small structure inside a cell that has a specific job, such as the nucleus, mitochondria or chloroplasts. Most organelles are surrounded by their own membrane.
• tissueA group of similar cells that work together to do a particular job. Organs are made of several different types of tissue.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• cell · Anatomy & Physiology

More terms: Cells and Levels of Organization

• mitochondrion
• cytoplasm
• prokaryote
• eukaryote
• ribosome
• cell wall
• mitosis
• stem cell
• diffusion
• osmosis