nucleolus

noun

nu·cle·o·lus | \nü-ˈklē-ə-ləs,

nyü-\

plural nucleoli\nü-ˈklē-ə-ˌlī,

nyü- \

Definition of nucleolus

: a spherical body of the nucleus of most eukaryotes that becomes enlarged during protein synthesis, is associated with a nucleolus organizer, and contains the DNA templates for ribosomal RNA — see cell illustration

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But there’s more to the nucleolus than just making ribosomes. — Joanna Klein, New York Times, "The Thing Inside Your Cells That Might Determine How Long You Live," 20 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nucleolus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of nucleolus was in 1839

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nucleolus

noun

nu·cle·o·lus | \n(y)ü-ˈklē-ə-ləs

plural nucleoli\-ˌlī

Medical Definition of nucleolus

: a spherical body of the nucleus of most eukaryotes that becomes enlarged during protein synthesis, is associated with a nucleolus organizer, and contains the DNA templates for ribosomal RNA

— called also plasmosome