stem cell

noun

: an unspecialized cell that gives rise to differentiated cells

hematopoietic stem cells in bone marrow

Examples of stem cell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Koniver greeted me in his waiting room, which featured a soft-rock soundtrack and brochures for serums and stem cells. —Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026

The results, Zhang believes, emphasize the potential of cellular reprogramming and patient-derived stem cell models in studying rare diseases. —Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2026

Her kidney went to her own brother, while skin grafts and stem cells helped dozens more. —Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2026

The numbness remained even when he was told that his daughter’s condition would likely improve with a stem cell transplant—his fear of a terminal diagnosis could be assuaged. —Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stem cell

• barbell
• bedwell
• befell
• bluebell
• bombshell
• bridewell
• capelle
• cartel
• carvel
• clamshell
• cogswell
• compel

Kids Definition

stem cell

noun

: a simple cell that can become a cell (as a blood cell or skin cell) with a special function

Medical Definition

stem cell

noun

ˈstem- 

: an unspecialized cell capable of perpetuating itself through cell division and having the potential to give rise to differentiated cells with specialized functions

Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent cells derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst stage of the embryo.

—Carrie J. Merkle, in Essentials of Pathophysiology

… picture the bone marrow as a blood cell factory that takes a single type of precursor cell, or stem cell, and modifies it in various ways to produce all the cells that circulate in the blood.

—Gina Kolata, Discover

Recent observations are providing increasing evidence for the concept that adult stem cells are part of a natural system for tissue repair.

—Darwin J. Prockop, in Essentials of Stem Cell Biology