multicellular

adjective

mul·​ti·​cel·​lu·​lar ˌməl-tē-ˈsel-yə-lər How to pronounce multicellular (audio)
-ˌtī-
: having, made up of, or involving more than one and usually many cells especially of living matter
It is probable that with a few exceptions all the cells in a multicellular organism have the same genetic information encoded in the chains of nucleotide bases that make up their DNA.James E. Darnell, Jr.
A biofilm is a community of bacteria that use intercellular signaling to establish complex multicellular structures by coordinating gene expression and phenotypic changes.J. Christopher Post et al.
multicellularity noun
When is an organism multicellular? A generic answer … is that multicellularity results when two or more neighboring cells adhere, interact, and physiologically communicate. Karl J. Niklas

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Multicellular organisms are distinguished from the very primitive single-celled organisms—bacteria, algae, amoebas, etc. Even sponges, simple as they are, have specialized cell types such as digestive cells. In complex multicellular organisms, only the surface cells can exchange substances with the external environment, so the organisms have developed transport systems such as the circulatory system, in which the blood brings gases and nutrients to the cells and removes waste products from them.

Examples of multicellular in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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How Cells Keep Time When Johnson entered graduate school in the 1970s, scientists knew that circadian clocks — organisms’ internal timekeepers for the day-night cycle — are ubiquitous in multicellular plants and animals. Elizabeth Landau, quantamagazine.org, 11 Oct. 2024 Since then, scientists have discovered more than a thousand genes that produce different microRNAs in humans and have shown that all multicellular organisms use microRNA to control protein production. Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2024 Today, all complex multicellular life — indeed, all life that any of us regularly see — is made of eukaryotic cells. Quanta Magazine, 28 Oct. 2024 Dating of the rock formations revealed that the Ediacara fauna was more than 550 million years old—quite a sensation at the time as nobody expected multicellular life to appear so early in Earth's history. David Bressan, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for multicellular 

Word History

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of multicellular was in 1852

Dictionary Entries Near multicellular

Cite this Entry

“Multicellular.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multicellular. Accessed 14 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

multicellular

adjective
mul·​ti·​cel·​lu·​lar
ˌməl-ti-ˈsel-yə-lər,
-ˌtī-
: having or consisting of many cells
multicellularity
-ˌsel-yə-ˈlar-ət-ē
noun

Medical Definition

multicellular

adjective
mul·​ti·​cel·​lu·​lar -ˈsel-yə-lər How to pronounce multicellular (audio)
: having or consisting of many cells
multicellularity noun
plural multicellularities

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