cell

noun

1
: a small religious house dependent on a monastery or convent
2
a
: a one-room dwelling occupied by a solitary person (such as a hermit)
b
: a single room (as in a convent or prison) usually for one person
3
: a small compartment, cavity, or bounded space: such as
a
: one of the compartments of a honeycomb
b
: a membranous area bounded by veins in the wing of an insect
4
: a small usually microscopic mass of protoplasm bounded externally by a semipermeable membrane, usually including one or more nuclei and various other organelles with their products, capable alone or interacting with other cells of performing all the fundamental functions of life, and forming the smallest structural unit of living matter capable of functioning independently
5
a(1)
: a receptacle containing electrodes and an electrolyte either for generating electricity by chemical action or for use in electrolysis
(2)
b
: a single unit in a device for converting radiant energy into electrical energy or for varying the intensity of an electrical current in accordance with radiation (see radiation sense 1)
6
: a unit in a statistical array (see array entry 2 sense 5) (such as a spreadsheet) formed by the intersection of a column and a row
7
: a basic and usually small unit of an organization or movement
terrorist cells
8
: a portion of the atmosphere that behaves as a unit
a storm cell
9
a
: any of the small sections of a geographic area of a cellular (see cellular entry 1 sense 3) telephone system

Illustration of cell

Illustration of cell
  • A plant
  • B animal
  • 1 cell wall
  • 2 middle lamella
  • 3 plasma membrane
  • 4 mitochondrion
  • 5 vacuole
  • 6 Golgi apparatus
  • 7 cytoplasm
  • 8 nuclear membrane
  • 9 nucleolus
  • 10 nucleus
  • 11 chromatin
  • 12 endoplasmic reticulum with associated ribosomes
  • 13 chloroplast
  • 14 centriole
  • 15 lysosome

Examples of cell in a Sentence

The suspect was in the police station's holding cell overnight. his mission was to locate and infiltrate the terrorist cell that was believed to be hiding in the city
Recent Examples on the Web To ensure her safety, she was housed in a single cell, the jail said. Rachel Weiner, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 Thomas, 20, died Feb. 23 in a holding cell at the District Five station, 2920 Vel R. Phillips Ave., after spending roughly 16 hours in custody. Chris Ramirez, Journal Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2024 In 2004, Enrique Bautista was serving time at an isolated prison in rural Oregon and wanted to discuss his dreams with his neighbor in the next cell. Grant Stringer, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024 At the time, Mr. Coleman was confined to a cell in Corcoran, Calif., a town in the Central Valley with two main industries, farming and prisons. Tim Arango, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 The cells were incubated with different concentrations of osha root extract. Barbie Cervoni, Verywell Health, 11 Mar. 2024 As a key turns in a jail cell lock, a New York City police deputy appears on screen to announce the arrest of a teenage suspect — not the person seen in the video moments earlier — in a shooting on a Bronx subway platform. Jake Offenhartz, Quartz, 8 Mar. 2024 The defendant wore a red jail uniform — reserved for inmates who are high profile and are separated from other inmates in a safety cell, according to a corrections officer at Thursday’s hearing. Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 Over the past year, several institutions such as the Green Bay Correctional Institution and Waupun Correctional Institution have been under unending lockdowns, limiting the movements of those incarcerated, depriving them of recreational time and requiring them to take meals inside their cells. Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cell.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English, religious house and Anglo-French celle hermit's cell, from Latin cella small room; akin to Latin celare to conceal — more at hell

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cell was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near cell

Cite this Entry

“Cell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cell. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cell

noun
1
: a very small room (as in a convent or prison) usually for one person
2
: a small compartment, cavity, or bounded space
the cells in a honeycomb often contain honey
3
: one of the tiny units that are the basic building blocks of living things, that carry on the basic functions of life either alone or in groups, and that include a nucleus and are surrounded by a membrane
4
a
: a container (as a jar) with electrodes and an electrolyte either for generating electricity by chemical action or for use in electrolysis
b
: a single unit in a device for changing radiant energy into electrical energy
5
celled
ˈseld
adjective

Medical Definition

cell

noun
1
: a small compartment or bounded space
2
: a small usually microscopic mass of protoplasm bounded externally by a semipermeable membrane, usually including one or more nuclei and various nonliving products, capable alone or interacting with other cells of performing all the fundamental functions of life, and forming the smallest structural unit of living matter capable of functioning independently

More from Merriam-Webster on cell

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