Main Entry:

cell

Pronunciation:

\ˈsel\

Function:

noun

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

Date:

12th century

1: a small religious house dependent on a monastery or convent2 a: a one-room dwelling occupied by a solitary person (as a hermit) b: a single room (as in a convent or prison) usually for one person3: a small compartment, cavity, or bounded space: 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 independently5 a (1): a receptacle containing electrodes and an electrolyte either for generating electricity by chemical action or for use in electrolysis (2): fuel cell 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 radiation6: a unit in a statistical array (as a spreadsheet) formed by the intersection of a column and a row7: 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 telephone system b: cell phone

[cell illustration]