Main Entry: cyst

Pronunciation: \ˈsist\

Function: noun

Etymology: New Latin cystis, from Greek kystis bladder, pouch; akin to Sanskrit śvasiti he blows, snorts — more at wheeze

Date: circa 1720

1 : a closed sac having a distinct membrane and developing abnormally in a cavity or structure of the body
2 : a body resembling a cyst: as a : a resting spore of many algae b : a gas-filled vesicle (as of a rockweed or bladderwort) c : a capsule formed about a minute organism going into a resting or spore stage; also : this capsule with its contents d : a resistant cover about a parasite produced by the parasite or the host