hepatocyte

noun

he·​pa·​to·​cyte hi-ˈpa-tə-ˌsīt How to pronounce hepatocyte (audio) ˈhe-pə-tə- How to pronounce hepatocyte (audio)
: an epithelial parenchymatous cell of the liver

Examples of hepatocyte in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Fibroblasts in nervous tissue, lymphocytes of the immune system, and hepatocytes in the liver all enter dormant, inactive, nondividing phases and reactivate later. Dan Samorodnitsky, Quanta Magazine, 5 June 2024 The not-so-supernatural process has cells called hepatocytes that split and proliferate in response to injury or loss. Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 6 Oct. 2023 About half of all human hepatocytes are aneuploid, indicating that the backup-copy theory can’t be the whole story. Quanta Magazine, 21 Aug. 2014 More than a hundred years ago, biologists noticed that some hepatocytes (liver cells) were huge, swollen with two or more nuclei and bursting with chromosomes. Quanta Magazine, 21 Aug. 2014 Scientists have also discovered that hepatocytes, the metabolically active cells that constitute 80 percent of the liver, possess traits not seen in any other normal cells of the body. Natalie Angier, New York Times, 12 June 2017 Adding to the liver’s repair protocol, Dr. Grompe of Oregon Health and Science University said, is the extreme plasticity of hepatocytes. Natalie Angier, New York Times, 12 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hepatocyte.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hepatocyte was in 1965

Dictionary Entries Near hepatocyte

Cite this Entry

“Hepatocyte.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hepatocyte. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Medical Definition

hepatocyte

noun
he·​pa·​to·​cyte hi-ˈpat-ə-ˌsīt How to pronounce hepatocyte (audio) ˈhep-ət-ə- How to pronounce hepatocyte (audio)
: any of the polygonal epithelial parenchymatous cells of the liver that secrete bile

called also hepatic cell, liver cell

More from Merriam-Webster on hepatocyte

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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