The word cell means

Look up cell in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Cell most often refers to:

  • Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life

Cell may also refer to:

Arts, entertainment, and media

Fictional entities

  • Cell (comics), a Marvel comic book character
  • Cell (Dragon Ball), a character in the manga series Dragon Ball

Literature

  • Cell (novel), a 2006 horror novel by Stephen King
  • «Cells», poem, about a hungover soldier in gaol, by Rudyard Kipling
  • The Cell (play), an Australian play by Robert Wales

Music

  • Cell (music), a small rhythmic and melodic design that can be isolated, or can make up one part of a thematic context
  • Cell (American band)
  • Cell (Japanese band)
  • Cell (album), a 2004 album by Plastic Tree
  • Cells, a 1998 album by Cex
  • Cells, a 2012 album by Fake Blood
  • «Cells», an art song composed by G. F. Cobb and named after the poem by Kipling
  • «Cells», a song by Bloem de Ligny
  • «Cells», a song by The Servant
  • The Cells, an American rock band
  • «The Cell» (song), a 2006 song by Jandek

Other arts, entertainment, and media

  • The Cell (film), a 2000 psychological thriller film starring Jennifer Lopez
  • Cell (film), a 2016 film based on the Stephen King novel
  • Animation cel, a transparent sheet on which objects are drawn or painted for traditional, hand-drawn animation
  • «The Cell» (The Vampire Diaries), an episode of the TV series The Vampire Diaries
  • «The Cell» (The Walking Dead), a 2016 television episode of The Walking Dead
  • The Cell (BBC Four), Adam Rutherford’s 3-part documentary series that aired on BBC Four
  • The Cell, the original title of the TV series Sleeper Cell

Groups of people

  • Cell, a group of people in a cell group, a form of Christian church organization
  • Cell, a unit of a clandestine cell system, a penetration-resistant form of a secret or outlawed organization
  • Cellular organizational structure, such as in business management

Rooms

  • Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery with only a few monks or nuns
  • Prison cell, a room used to hold people in prisons

Science, mathematics, and technology

Computing and telecommunications

  • Cell (EDA), a term used in an electronic circuit design schematics
  • Cell (microprocessor), a microprocessor architecture developed by Sony, Toshiba, and IBM
  • Cell, a unit in a database table or spreadsheet, formed by the intersection of a row and a column
  • Cell, in wireless local area networking standards (including Wi-Fi), a wireless connection within a limited area, referred to as a cell or Basic Service Set
  • Cell, a fixed-length data frame used in the Asynchronous Transfer Mode protocol
  • Cellphone, a phone connected to a cellular network
    • Cell (network), area of radio coverage in a cellular network
  • Memory cell (computing), the basic unit of (volatile or non-volatile) computer memory

Mathematics

  • Cell (geometry), a three-dimensional element, part of a higher-dimensional object
  • Cell, an element of an abstract cell complex
  • Cell, a basic unit of a cellular automaton
  • Cell, an element of a CW complex
  • Cell, a k-face of a simplicial complex

Other uses in science and technology

  • Cell (journal), a scientific journal
  • Electrochemical cell, a device used to convert chemical energy to electrical energy
    • Fuel cell, a device used to convert chemical energy from a fuel like hydrogen to electricity
    • Galvanic cell or voltaic cell, a particular kind of electrochemical cell
  • Photodetector, or photo cell, a sensor which detects light
  • Solar cell, a component of photovoltaic systems used to convert the energy of light into electricity
  • Storm cell, the smallest unit of a storm-producing system

See also

  • CEL (disambiguation)
  • Cellular (disambiguation)
  • Macrocell
Word CELL
Character 4
Hyphenation cell
Pronunciations /sɛl/

Sorry, your browser does not support the audio element!

What do we mean by cell?

A narrow confining room, as in a prison or convent. noun

A small enclosed cavity or space, such as a compartment in a honeycomb or within a plant ovary or an area bordered by veins in an insect’s wing. noun

The smallest structural unit of an organism that is capable of independent functioning, consisting of cytoplasm, usually one nucleus, and various other organelles, all surrounded by a semipermeable cell membrane. noun

The smallest organizational unit of a clandestine group or movement, such as a banned political movement or a terrorist group. A cell’s leader is often the only person who knows members of the organization outside the cell. noun

A single unit for electrolysis or conversion of chemical into electric energy, usually consisting of a container with electrodes and an electrolyte; a battery. noun

A single unit that converts radiant energy into electric energy. noun

A fuel cell. noun

A geographic area or zone surrounding a transmitter in a cellular telephone system. noun

A cell phone. noun

A basic unit of storage in a computer memory that can hold one unit of information, such as a character or word. noun

A storm cell. noun

A small humble abode, such as a hermit’s cave or hut. noun

A small religious house dependent on a larger one, such as a priory within an abbey. noun

A box or other unit on a spreadsheet or similar array at the intersection of a column and a row. noun

To store in a honeycomb. intransitive verb

To live in or share a prison cell. intransitive verb

To shut up in a cell; place in a cell.

A single-room dwelling for a hermit.

A small monastery or nunnery dependent on a larger religious establishment.

A small room in a monastery or nunnery accommodating one person.

A room in a prison or jail for one or more inmates.

Each of the small hexagonal compartments in a honeycomb.

Any of various chambers in a tissue or organism having specific functions.

The discal cell of the wing of a lepidopteran insect.

Specifically, any of the supposed compartments of the brain, formerly thought to be the source of specific mental capacities, knowledge, or memories.

A section or compartment of a larger structure.

Any small dwelling; a remote nook, a den.

A device which stores electrical power; used either singly or together in batteries; the basic unit of a battery.

The basic unit of a living organism, consisting of a quantity of protoplasm surrounded by a cell membrane, which is able to synthesize proteins and replicate itself.

A small thunderstorm, caused by convection, that forms ahead of a storm front.

The minimal unit of a cellular automaton that can change state and has an associated behavior.

In FreeCell-type games, a space where one card can be placed.

A small group of people forming part of a larger organization, often an outlawed one.

(communication) A short, fixed-length packet as in asynchronous transfer mode.

(communication) A region of radio reception that is a part of a larger radio network.

A three-dimensional facet of a polytope.

The unit in a statistical array (a spreadsheet, for example) where a row and a column intersect.

The space between the ribs of a vaulted roof.

A cella.

An area of an insect wing bounded by veins

*Another term for a prisoner’s room.
*A term to refer to a militious group (such as a terrorist group).
*A quick term for a cellphone, as displayed, as an example, in the first episode of the current TMNT series; the «shellcell».
*The name of a powerful villian in Dragonball Z, able to create duplicates of his genetic code, all of which are capable of learning, and thus creating an almost immortal, self-aware foe. The only way to stop him is to fry his ENTIRE body. Urban Dictionary

N. an abbreviation for ‘cellular phone.’
v. the act of calling someone else’s cellular phone. Urban Dictionary

The basic structual and functional unit of all organisms. Urban Dictionary

Mobile Telicommunication Device Urban Dictionary

A basic unit of organs. Urban Dictionary

Another word for a persons bedroom Urban Dictionary

Cell is a fictional villian and fighter in the popular anime series Dragonball Z. His only purpose is to absorb and kill other fighters, thereby gaining their strength. As an android built from the cells of the greatest fighters in the universe, he is able to use even their most powerful fighting techniques, though it is unknown if he can use the Wolf-Fang Fist. Urban Dictionary

One of the major villains from the dragonball universe. He was created by Dr. Gero (later dubbed android 20), and was created to incorporate all the cells of the best fighters in the universe. By weaving all their cells together from each fighter, he is able to inherit their abilities and fighting techniques. Like Frieza, he has the ability to survive anywhere, like Piccolo, he can regenerate his anatomy if his core is not damaged (in his case, one cell is enough to regenerate from), Vegeta’s fighting genius, and attitude, Goku’s natural aptitude for fighting, and the young but powerful Gohan.
Cell cannot reach his full potential until he absorbs Android 17 and Android 18. Once he does, they are permanently integrated into his design, giving him great power. Once he absorbs them, even if he loses android 17 or 18’s body, he is still able to retain his perfect power (prior to exploding) after blowing himself up, leaving one cell he can regenerate from, and giving him a zenkai increase, making his power substantially greater, enough to kill Future Trunks with one blow, and power that rivals that of Super Saiyan 2 Gohan. Urban Dictionary

Meaning used when people want you to call their cell Urban Dictionary

1) A place where prisoners have a bed and toilet and are locked up next to other cells
2) cell is short for cellular, cell as in cell phone means personal, your personal phone Urban Dictionary

Other forms: cells

Cell has several different meanings, but all of them are similar. Whether it’s in a prison or in your blood (or even in the political landscape), a cell is a small room, space, or unit.

Blood is composed of countless individual cells, as are virtually all of the organs of the body: skin, liver, lungs, brain, etc. The cell is the basic unit of all biology. A cell in a prison is the room in which a prisoner lives. But did you know that a cell can also be a small group of people devoted to a larger political cause? The government’s security forces are constantly on the lookout for terrorist «sleeper cells» and would love to get the members of a sleeper cell into a prison cell.

Definitions of cell

  1. noun

    (biology) the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms; they may exist as independent units of life (as in monads) or may form colonies or tissues as in higher plants and animals

    see moresee less

    types:

    show 53 types…
    hide 53 types…
    recombinant

    a cell or organism in which genetic recombination has occurred

    blastomere

    any cell resulting from cleavage of a fertilized egg

    flagellated cell

    any cell or one-celled organism equipped with a flagellum

    fiber, fibre

    any of several elongated, threadlike cells (especially a muscle fiber or a nerve fiber)

    Kupffer’s cell

    specialized cells in the liver that destroy bacteria, foreign proteins, and worn-out blood cells

    beta cell

    a cell that produces insulin in the isles of Langerhans in the pancreas

    somatic cell, vegetative cell

    any of the cells of a plant or animal except the reproductive cells; a cell that does not participate in the production of gametes

    blastema

    a mass of undifferentiated cells from which an organ or body part develops

    fertilized ovum, zygote

    (genetics) the diploid cell resulting from the union of a haploid spermatozoon and ovum (including the organism that develops from that cell)

    parthenote

    a cell resulting from parthenogenesis

    embryonic cell, formative cell

    a cell of an embryo

    acaryote, akaryocyte, akaryote

    a cell without a nucleus (as an erythrocyte)

    germ cell, reproductive cell, sex cell

    a spermatozoon or an ovum; a cell responsible for transmitting DNA to the next generation

    gametocyte

    an immature animal or plant cell that develops into a gamete by meiosis

    polar body

    a small cell containing little cytoplasm that is produced along with the oocyte and later discarded

    Leydig cell, Leydig’s cell

    a cell in the testes that secretes the hormone testosterone

    Sertoli cell, Sertoli’s cell

    elongated cells found in the seminiferous tubules of the testis; apparently they nourish the spermatids

    plant cell

    a cell that is a structural and functional unit of a plant

    archespore, archesporium

    primitive cell or group of cells from which a mother cell develops

    daughter cell

    a cell formed by the division or budding of another cell

    mother cell

    cell from which another cell of an organism (usually of a different sort) develops

    arthrospore

    one of a string of thick walled vegetative resting cells formed by some algae and fungi

    arthrospore

    a body that resembles a spore but is not an endospore; produced by some bacteria

    choanocyte, collar cell

    any of the flagellated cells in sponges having a collar of cytoplasm around the flagellum; they maintain a flow of water through the body

    skin cell

    any of the cells making up the skin

    epithelial cell

    one of the closely packed cells forming the epithelium

    neoplastic cell

    a cell that is part of tumor

    heterozygote

    (genetics) an organism having two different alleles of a particular gene and so giving rise to varying offspring

    homozygote

    (genetics) an organism having two identical alleles of a particular gene and so breeding true for the particular characteristic

    bone cell

    a cell that is part of a bone

    blastocyte

    an undifferentiated embryonic cell

    ameloblast

    a cell from which tooth enamel develops

    bone-forming cell, osteoblast

    a cell from which bone develops

    erythroblast

    a nucleated cell in bone marrow from which red blood cells develop

    fibroblast

    a cell from which connective tissue develops

    neuroblast

    a cell from which a nerve cell develops

    blood cell, blood corpuscle, corpuscle

    either of two types of cells (erythrocytes and leukocytes) and sometimes including platelets

    phagocyte, scavenger cell

    a cell that engulfs and digests debris and invading microorganisms

    visual cell

    one of the cells of the retina that is sensitive to light

    adipose cell, fat cell

    cells composed of fat

    gamete

    a mature sexual reproductive cell having a single set of unpaired chromosomes

    oocyte

    a female gametocyte that develops into an ovum after two meiotic divisions

    spermatocyte

    a male gametocyte that develops into four spermatids

    muscle cell, muscle fiber, muscle fibre

    an elongated contractile cell that forms the muscles of the body

    nerve fiber, nerve fibre

    a threadlike extension of a nerve cell

    Schwann cell

    any cell that covers the nerve fibers in the peripheral nervous system and forms the myelin sheath

    nerve cell, neuron

    a cell that is specialized to conduct nerve impulses

    glial cell, neurogliacyte, neuroglial cell

    a cell of the neuroglia

    hybridoma

    a hybrid cell resulting from the fusion of a lymphocyte and a tumor cell; used to culture a specific monoclonal antibody

    labrocyte, mast cell, mastocyte

    a large connective tissue cell that contains histamine and heparin and serotonin which are released in allergic reactions or in response to injury or inflammation

    stem cell

    an undifferentiated cell whose daughter cells may differentiate into other cell types (such as blood cells)

    target cell

    any cell that has a specific receptor for an antigen or antibody or hormone or drug, or is the focus of contact by a virus or phagocyte or nerve fiber etc.

    spore mother cell

    cell from which a spore develops

    type of:

    animate thing, living thing

    a living (or once living) entity

  2. noun

    small room in which a monk or nun lives

  3. noun

    a room where a prisoner is kept

  4. noun

    any small compartment

    “the
    cells of a honeycomb”

  5. noun

    a small unit serving as part of or as the nucleus of a larger political movement

  6. noun

    a device that delivers an electric current as the result of a chemical reaction

  7. noun

    a hand-held mobile radiotelephone for use in an area divided into small sections, each with its own short-range transmitter/receiver

DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘cell’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Look up cell for the last time

Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the
words you need to know.

VocabTrainer - Vocabulary.com's Vocabulary Trainer

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.

Get started

1

: a small religious house dependent on a monastery or convent

2

a

: a one-room dwelling occupied by a solitary person (such as a hermit)

b

: a single room (as in a convent or prison) usually for one person

3

: a small compartment, cavity, or bounded space: such as

b

: a membranous area bounded by veins in the wing of an insect

4

: a small usually microscopic mass of protoplasm bounded externally by a semipermeable membrane, usually including one or more nuclei and various other organelles with their products, capable alone or interacting with other cells of performing all the fundamental functions of life, and forming the smallest structural unit of living matter capable of functioning independently

5

a(1)

: a receptacle containing electrodes and an electrolyte either for generating electricity by chemical action or for use in electrolysis

b

: a single unit in a device for converting radiant energy into electrical energy or for varying the intensity of an electrical current in accordance with radiation (see radiation sense 1)

6

: a unit in a statistical array (see array entry 2 sense 5) (such as a spreadsheet) formed by the intersection of a column and a row

7

: a basic and usually small unit of an organization or movement

8

: a portion of the atmosphere that behaves as a unit

Illustration of cell

Illustration of cell

  • A plant
  • B animal; 1 cell wall
  • 2 middle lamella
  • 3 plasma membrane
  • 4 mitochondrion
  • 5 vacuole
  • 6 Golgi apparatus
  • 7 cytoplasm
  • 8 nuclear membrane
  • 9 nucleolus
  • 10 nucleus
  • 11 chromatin
  • 12 endoplasmic reticulum with associated ribosomes
  • 13 chloroplast
  • 14 centriole
  • 15 lysosome

Synonyms

Example Sentences



The suspect was in the police station’s holding cell overnight.



his mission was to locate and infiltrate the terrorist cell that was believed to be hiding in the city

Recent Examples on the Web

On top of that, a percentage of its battery minerals must be sourced from a specific list of free-trade partners (not including China), and lastly, its battery cells must be assembled in North America.


Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 8 Apr. 2023





The new prisons will have more individual cells.


Ivana Hrynkiw | Ihrynkiw@al.com, al, 8 Apr. 2023





In the park where the rally was held, there was a strange, life-sized jail cell door, its bars backed with mirrors, reflecting back the faces of the people surrounding, with the courthouse as backdrop.


Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 4 Apr. 2023





But the guards don’t appear to make any effort to open the cell doors and instead hurry away as billowing clouds of smoke fill the structure within seconds.


Fabiola Sánchez And Morgan Lee, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2023





But the guards don’t appear to make any effort to open the cell doors and instead hurry away as billowing clouds of smoke fill the structure within seconds.


Alfredo Corchado, Dallas News, 30 Mar. 2023





But the guards don’t appear to make any effort to open the cell doors and instead hurry away as billowing clouds of smoke fill the structure within seconds.


Fabiola Sánchez And Morgan Lee, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Mar. 2023





But the guards don’t appear to make any effort to open the cell doors and instead hurry away as billowing clouds of smoke fill the structure within seconds.


Fabiola Sánchez And Morgan Lee, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Mar. 2023





But the guards don’t appear to make any effort to open the cell doors and instead hurry away as billowing clouds of smoke fill the structure within seconds.


Fabiola Sánchez, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2023



See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English, religious house and Anglo-French celle hermit’s cell, from Latin cella small room; akin to Latin celare to conceal — more at hell

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of cell was
before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near cell

Cite this Entry

“Cell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cell. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on cell

Last Updated:
10 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences

Subscribe to America’s largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Merriam-Webster unabridged

English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /sɛl/
  • Rhymes: -ɛl
  • Homophones: cel, sell

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English celle, selle, from Old English cell (attested in inflected forms), from Latin cella (chamber, small room, compartment), later reinforced by Old French cel, sele, Old French cele. Doublet of cella; ultimately from Proto-Italic *kelnā, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelneh₂, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (to cover).

Noun[edit]

cell (plural cells)

  1. A single-room dwelling for a hermit. [from 10th c.]
    • 1764, Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto, IV:
      For three days he and his attendants had wandered in the forest without seeing a human form: but on the evening of the third they came to a cell, in which they found a venerable hermit in the agonies of death.
  2. (now historical) A small monastery or nunnery dependent on a larger religious establishment. [from 11th c.]
  3. A small room in a monastery or nunnery accommodating one person. [from 14th c.]
    • 2002, Jennifer Worth, Call the Midwife, Phoenix (2012), page 315:

      A nunʼs bedroom is properly called a cell and is small, bare, and plain, without comfort.

    Gregor Mendel must have spent a good amount of time outside of his cell.

  4. A room in a prison or jail for one or more inmates. [from 18th c.]
    Synonym: prison cell

    The combatants spent the night in separate cells.

  5. Each of the small hexagonal compartments in a honeycomb. [from 14th c.]
  6. (biology, now chiefly botany) Any of various chambers in a tissue or organism having specific functions. [from 14th c.]
    • 1858, Asa Gray, Introduction to Structural and Systematic Botany, fifth edition, p. 282:
      Each of the two cells or lobes of the anther is marked with a lateral line or furrow, running from top to bottom [].
  7. (entomology) The discal cell of the wing of a lepidopteran insect.
  8. (obsolete) Specifically, any of the supposed compartments of the brain, formerly thought to be the source of specific mental capacities, knowledge, or memories. [14th–19th c.]
    • 1794, Mary Wollstonecraft, An Historical and Moral View of the Origin and Progress of the French Revolution:
      [W]e shall feel still more contempt for the order of men, who cultivated their faculties, only to enable them to consolidate their power, by leading the ignorant astray; making the learning they concentrated in their cells, a more polished instrument of oppression.
    • 1890, Oscar Wilde, chapter XVI, in The Picture of Dorian Gray:

      From cell to cell of his brain crept the one thought; and the wild desire to live, most terrible of all man’s appetites, quickened into force each trembling nerve and fibre.

  9. A section or compartment of a larger structure. [from 16th c.]
  10. (obsolete, chiefly literary) Any small dwelling; a remote nook, a den. [16th–19th c.]
    • 1810, Walter Scott, “Canto II. The Island.”, in The Lady of the Lake; a Poem, Edinburgh: [] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for John Ballantyne and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, and William Miller, →OCLC, (please specify the stanza number):

      Not long shall honour’d Douglas dwell, / Like hunted stag, in mountain-cell [].

  11. A device which stores electrical power; used either singly or together in batteries; the basic unit of a battery. [from 19th c.]

    This MP3 player runs on 2 AAA cells.

  12. (biology) The basic unit of a living organism, consisting of a quantity of protoplasm surrounded by a cell membrane, which is able to synthesize proteins and replicate itself. [from 19th c.]
    • 1999, Paul Brown & Dave King, The Guardian, 15 Feb 1999:
      An American company has applied to experiment in Britain on Parkinson’s disease sufferers by injecting their brains with cells from pigs.
    • 2011, Terence Allen & Graham Cowling, The Cell: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford 2011, p. 3:
      In multicellular organisms, groups of cells form tissues and tissues come together to form organs.
  13. (meteorology) A small thunderstorm, caused by convection, that forms ahead of a storm front. [from 20th c.]

    There is a powerful storm cell headed our way.

  14. (computing) The minimal unit of a cellular automaton that can change state and has an associated behavior. [from 20th c.]

    The upper right cell always starts with the color green.

  15. (card games) In FreeCell-type games, a space where one card can be placed.
  16. A small group of people forming part of a larger organization, often an outlawed one. [from 20th c.]

    Those three fellows are the local cell of that organization.

    • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Salarians: Special Tasks Group Codex entry:

      Salarian intelligence field agents are grouped into an organization called the Special Tasks Group. STG operators work in independent cells, performing dangerous missions such as counter-terrorism, infiltration, reconnaissance, assassination, and sabotage.

  17. (communication) A short, fixed-length packet, as in asynchronous transfer mode. [from 20th c.]

    Virtual Channel number 5 received 170 cells.

  18. (communication) A region of radio reception that is a part of a larger radio network.

    I get good reception in my home because it is near a cell tower.

  19. (geometry) A three-dimensional facet of a polytope.
  20. (statistics) The unit in a statistical array (a spreadsheet, for example) where a row and a column intersect.
  21. (architecture) The space between the ribs of a vaulted roof.
  22. (architecture) A cella.
  23. (entomology) An area of an insect wing bounded by veins.
Usage notes[edit]

In the sense of an electrical device, «cell» is the technically correct name for a single unit of battery-type power storage, whereas a battery is a device comprising multiple of them, though it is often used for simple cells.

Quotations[edit]
  • For quotations using this term, see Citations:cell.
Synonyms[edit]
  • See also Thesaurus:cell
Derived terms[edit]
  • 120-cell
  • 16-cell
  • 24-cell
  • 5-cell
  • 57-cell
  • 600-cell
  • 8-cell
  • absorption cell
  • air cell
  • alpha cell
  • angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma
  • APUD cell
  • B cell
  • B-cell
  • band cell
  • basal cell
  • basal cell carcinoma
  • basket cell
  • battery cell
  • beta cell
  • Betz cell
  • biological fuel cell
  • bipolar cell
  • bite cell
  • black queen cell virus
  • blast cell
  • blister cell
  • blood cell
  • blood-cell
  • brain cell
  • Bunsen cell
  • burr cell
  • button cell
  • cancer cell
  • caudodorsal cell hormone
  • cell adhesion molecule
  • cell block
  • cell body
  • cell count
  • cell cycle
  • cell death
  • cell division
  • cell group
  • cell house
  • cell line
  • cell membrane
  • cell nucleus
  • cell phone lot
  • cell plate
  • cell sap
  • cell theory
  • cell therapy
  • cell type
  • cell wall
  • cell yell
  • cell-adhesion molecule
  • cell-mediated immune response
  • cell-mediated immunity
  • cell-phone
  • cell-wall
  • cellblock
  • cellbound
  • cellmate
  • character cell
  • chemical cell
  • chief cell
  • chloragogen cell
  • CHO cell
  • Clara cell
  • club cell
  • coin cell
  • companion cell
  • cone cell
  • cons cell
  • convection cell
  • counting cell hemocytometer
  • crowfoot cell
  • cytolytic T cell
  • cytotoxic T cell
  • Daniell cell
  • daughter cell
  • delta cell
  • dendritic cell
  • detention cell
  • diamond anvil cell
  • diaphragm cell
  • diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
  • dry cell
  • dry cell battery
  • egg cell
  • electrochemical cell
  • enzymatic fuel cell
  • fat cell
  • Ferrata cell
  • flame cell
  • flow cell
  • foam cell
  • follicular dendritic cell
  • free cell formation
  • fuel cell
  • fuel cell vehicle
  • germ cell
  • glial cell
  • goblet cell
  • grand 600-cell
  • grandmother cell
  • granular cell tumor
  • granule cell
  • grape cell
  • gravity cell
  • grid cell
  • Grove cell
  • guard cell
  • Hadley cell
  • hair cell
  • hairy cell
  • half cell
  • half-cell
  • Hargreaves-Bird cell
  • helper T cell
  • hematopoietic cell
  • holding cell
  • Hooker cell
  • host cell
  • hot cell
  • inner cell mass
  • intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell
  • IT cell
  • jail cell
  • Jurkat cell
  • k-cell
  • Kenyon cell
  • killer T cell
  • Kupffer cell
  • Langerhans cell
  • lasso cell
  • Leclanché cell
  • Leydig cell
  • light green cell hormone
  • load cell
  • local cell
  • macroglial cell
  • mast cell
  • mastoid cell
  • megaspore mother cell
  • melanopsin-containing retinal ganglion cell
  • memory B cell
  • memory cell
  • memory T cell
  • Merkel cell
  • Merkel-Ranvier cell
  • Mexican hat cell
  • microbial fuel cell
  • midget cell
  • mitral cell
  • morula cell
  • Mott cell
  • myeloid cell
  • natural killer cell
  • nerve cell
  • nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome
  • nevoid basal-cell carcinoma syndrome
  • padded cell
  • palisade cell
  • Paneth cell
  • parasol cell
  • parietal cell
  • pavement cell
  • photoconductive cell
  • photoelectric cell
  • photoemissive cell
  • photosensitive retinal ganglion cell
  • photovoltaic cell
  • place cell
  • plasma cell
  • PMN cell
  • prickle cell
  • primary cell wall
  • prison cell
  • progenitor cell
  • programmed cell death
  • Purkinje cell
  • pyramidal cell
  • radial glial cell
  • red blood cell
  • red blood cell cast
  • red cell
  • Reed-Sternberg cell
  • renal cell carcinoma
  • Renshaw cell
  • rod cell
  • satellite cell
  • Schwann cell
  • secondary cell wall
  • selenium cell
  • Sertoli cell
  • sex cell
  • sickle cell
  • sickle cell anaemia
  • sickle-cell anaemia
  • sickle-cell anemia
  • sickle-cell disease
  • sieve cell
  • skin cell
  • sleeper cell
  • smudge cell
  • solar cell
  • somatic cell
  • sperm cell
  • spindle cell
  • spur cell
  • stab cell
  • stellate cell
  • stem cell
  • stem-cell
  • storage cell
  • supercell
  • supergranulation cell
  • T cell
  • T helper cell
  • T-cell
  • target cell
  • terror cell
  • tracheid cell
  • trophic cell
  • unit cell
  • vegetative cell
  • Virchow’s cell
  • voltaic cell
  • Vorce cell
  • Voronoi cell
  • Walthard cell rest
  • water cell
  • wet cell
  • white blood cell
  • white cell
  • white-cell
[edit]
  • cellar
  • cellular
  • cellule
Translations[edit]

component of an electrical battery

  • Arabic: خَلِيَّة‎ f (ḵaliyya)
  • Bulgarian: кле́тка (bg) f (klétka)
  • Catalan: pila (ca) f
  • Chinese:
    Cantonese: 電池电池 (din6 ci4), 電芯电芯 (din6 sam1)
    Mandarin: 電池电池 (zh) (diànchí)
    Min Nan: 電池电池 (zh-min-nan) (tiān-tî)
  • Cornish: kell f
  • Czech: článek (cs) m
  • Dutch: batterij (nl) f
  • Finnish: kenno (fi), paristo (fi)
  • French: pile (fr) f
  • German: Zelle (de) f, Batteriezelle f
  • Greek: στοιχείο (el) n (stoicheío)
  • Hungarian: akkumulátorcella
  • Ido: pilio (io)
  • Indonesian: sel (id)
  • Japanese: セル (seru), 電池 (ja) (でんち, denchi)
  • Korean: (sel), 전지(電池) (ko) (jeonji)
  • Latvian: elements m
  • Lithuanian: elementas (lt) m
  • Macedonian: батерија f (baterija)
  • Maltese: ċellola f
  • Maori: pūhiko
  • Polish: ogniwo (pl) n
  • Portuguese: célula (pt) f
  • Russian: батаре́йка (ru) f (bataréjka)
  • Slovak: článok
  • Swahili: seli (sw)
  • Swedish: cell (sv) c, element (sv) n
  • Welsh: cell (cy) f

room in a prison for containing inmates

  • Afrikaans: sel (af)
  • Albanian: birucë (sq) f, qeli (sq) f
  • Arabic: زِنْزَانَة‎ f (zinzāna)
  • Belarusian: ка́мера f (kámjera)
  • Bulgarian: кили́я f (kilíja)
  • Burmese: အချုပ်ခန်း (my) (a.hkyuphkan:)
  • Catalan: calabós m, cel·la (ca) f
  • Chinese:
    Mandarin: 牢房 (zh) (láofáng), 獨房独房 (zh) (dúfáng)
  • Cornish: kell f
  • Czech: cela (cs) f
  • Danish: celle (da) c
  • Dutch: cel (nl) f
  • Faroese: fangarúm n, klivi m
  • Finnish: selli (fi), tyrmä (fi)
  • French: cellule (fr) f
  • Galician: cela (gl) f
  • Georgian: საკანი (saḳani)
  • German: Zelle (de) f, Haftraum m
  • Greek: κελί (el) n (kelí)
  • Hebrew: תָּא (he) m (ta)
  • Hungarian: cella (hu), zárka (hu), börtöncella (hu)
  • Icelandic: klefi (is) m, fangaklefi (is) m
  • Indonesian: sel (id)
  • Italian: cella (it) f
  • Japanese: 独房 (どくぼう, dokubō)
  • Khmer: កោសិកា (km) (kaosekaa)
  • Korean: 독방(獨房) (ko) (dokbang)
  • Lao: ກ້ອງຂັງ (kǭng khang)
  • Latvian: kamera f
  • Lithuanian: kamera f
  • Macedonian: ќелија f (ḱelija)
  • Malayalam: ജയിലറ (jayilaṟa)
  • Maltese: ċella f
  • Manx: killeen m
  • Norman: cachot m
  • Norwegian:
    Bokmål: celle (no) m or f
  • Persian: حجره (fa) (hojre)
  • Polish: cela (pl) f
  • Portuguese: cela (pt) f
  • Romanian: celulă (ro) f
  • Russian: ка́мера (ru) f (kámera), кле́тка (ru) f (klétka)
  • Serbo-Croatian:
    Cyrillic: ћѐлија f
    Roman: ćèlija f
  • Slovak: cela (sk)
  • Spanish: celda (es) f, bartolina f (Honduras), estancia (es) f, calabozo m
  • Swahili: seli (sw)
  • Swedish: cell (sv) c
  • Thai: กรง (th) (grong)
  • Turkish: hücre (tr)
  • Ukrainian: ка́мера (uk) f (kámera)
  • Volapük: leziöb (vo)
  • Walloon: gayole (wa) f
  • Welsh: cell (cy) f

room in a monastery for sleeping one person

  • Arabic: صَوْمَعَة‎ f (ṣawmaʕa), كِرْح‎ m (kirḥ)
  • Armenian: խուց (hy) (xucʿ)
  • Belarusian: ке́лля f (kjéllja)
  • Bulgarian: кили́я f (kilíja)
  • Catalan: cel·la (ca) m
  • Cornish: kell f
  • Czech: cela (cs) f
  • Dutch: cel (nl) f
  • Finnish: kammio (fi)
  • French: cellule (fr) f
  • Galician: cela (gl) f
  • German: Zelle (de) f, Mönchszelle f
  • Greek: κελί (el) n (kelí)
  • Hungarian: cella (hu)
  • Indonesian: sel (id)
  • Italian: cella (it) f
  • Japanese: 個室 (ja) (こしつ, koshitsu)
  • Latvian: celle f
  • Lithuanian: celė f
  • Macedonian: ќелија f (ḱelija)
  • Maltese: ċella f
  • Manx: keeill f, killeen m
  • Polish: cela (pl) f
  • Portuguese: cela (pt) f
  • Romanian: chilie (ro) f
  • Russian: ке́лья (ru) f (kélʹja)
  • Serbo-Croatian:
    Cyrillic: ћѐлија f
    Roman: ćèlija f
  • Slovak: cela (sk)
  • Spanish: célula (es) f
  • Swahili: seli (sw)
  • Swedish: cell (sv) c
  • Thai: กุฎี (th) (gù-dii)
  • Ukrainian: ке́лія f (kélija)
  • Welsh: cell (cy) f

small group of people forming part of a larger organization

  • Arabic: خَلِيَّة‎ f (ḵaliyya)
  • Armenian: բջիջ (hy) (bǰiǰ)
  • Bulgarian: кле́тка (bg) f (klétka)
  • Chinese:
    Mandarin: 支部 (zh) (zhībù),  (zh) ()
  • Czech: buňka (cs) f
  • Dutch: cel (nl) f
  • Finnish: solu (fi)
  • French: cellule (fr) f
  • Galician: célula (gl) f
  • German: Zelle (de) f
  • Greek: πυρήνας (el) m (pyrínas)
  • Hebrew: תָּא (he) m (ta)
  • Hungarian: sejt (hu)
  • Italian: cellula (it) f
  • Japanese:  (ja) (はん, han)
  • Korean: 반(班) (ko) (ban)
  • Portuguese: célula (pt) f
  • Romanian: celulă (ro) f
  • Russian: яче́йка (ru) f (jačéjka)
  • Slovak: bunka (sk)
  • Spanish: célula (es) f
  • Swahili: seli (sw)
  • Swedish: cell (sv) c
  • Ukrainian: осере́док m (oserédok)
  • Walloon: trokete f

small thunderstorm that forms ahead of a storm front

basic unit of a living organism

  • Afrikaans: sel (af)
  • Albanian: qelizë (sq) f
  • Arabic: خَلِيَّة‎ f (ḵaliyya)
    Egyptian Arabic: خلية‎ f (ḵaleiya)
  • Armenian: բջիջ (hy) (bǰiǰ)
  • Azerbaijani: hüceyrə (az)
  • Balinese: ᬓᭀᬲᬶᬓ (kosika)
  • Bashkir: күҙәнәк (küðänäk)
  • Belarusian: кле́тка f (kljétka), камо́рка f (kamórka)
  • Bengali: কোষ (bn) (kōś)
  • Bulgarian: кле́тка (bg) f (klétka)
  • Burmese: ကလာပ်စည်း (my) (ka.lapcany:)
  • Catalan: cèl·lula (ca) f
  • Chinese:
    Cantonese: 細胞细胞 (sai3 baau1)
    Mandarin: 細胞细胞 (zh) (xìbāo)
    Min Nan: 細胞细胞 (zh-min-nan) (sè-pau/suè-pau)
  • Cornish: kell f
  • Czech: buňka (cs) f
  • Danish: celle (da) c
  • Dutch: cel (nl) f
  • Esperanto: ĉelo (eo)
  • Estonian: rakk
  • Faroese: kykna f
  • Finnish: solu (fi)
  • French: cellule (fr) f
  • Galician: célula (gl) f
  • Georgian: უჯრედი (uǯredi)
  • German: Zelle (de) f
  • Greek: κύτταρο (el) n (kýttaro)
  • Hebrew: תָּא (he) m (ta)
  • Hindi: कोशिका (hi) f (kośikā)
  • Hungarian: sejt (hu)
  • Icelandic: fruma (is) f
  • Ido: celulo (io)
  • Indonesian: sel (id)
  • Irish: cill f
  • Italian: cellula (it) f
  • Japanese: 細胞 (ja) (さいぼう, saibō)
  • Kannada: ಜೀವಕೋಶ (kn) (jīvakōśa)
  • Kazakh: жасуша (jasuşa)
  • Khmer: កោសិកា (km) (kaosekaa)
  • Korean: 세포(細胞) (ko) (sepo)
  • Kurdish:
    Northern Kurdish: xane (ku) f
  • Kyrgyz: клетка (ky) (kletka)
  • Lao: ຈຸລັງ (lo) (chu lang)
  • Latin: cellula f
  • Latvian: šūna f
  • Lithuanian: ląstelė f
  • Macedonian: клетка f (kletka)
  • Malay: sel (ms)
  • Malayalam: കോശം (ml) (kōśaṃ)
  • Maltese: ċellula f
  • Manx: killag f
  • Maori: pūtau
  • Mongolian:
    Cyrillic: эс (mn) (es)
  • Navajo: hinááh bijéí
  • Norwegian:
    Bokmål: celle (no) m or f, selle (no) m or f
  • Occitan: cellula (oc) f
  • Pashto: ژوندينکه‎, ژونکه (ps), خونګۍ‎ f (xungǝ́y), کوټنۍ‎ f (koṭanǝ́y)
  • Persian: یاخته (fa) (yâxte), سلول (fa) (sellul), حجره (fa) (hojre) (Dari)
  • Polish: komórka (pl) f
  • Portuguese: célula (pt) f
  • Romanian: celulă (ro) f
  • Russian: кле́тка (ru) f (klétka)
  • Scottish Gaelic: cealla f
  • Serbo-Croatian:
    Cyrillic: ста̀ница f, ћѐлија f
    Roman: stànica (sh) f, ćèlija f
  • Sinhalese: සෛල (saila)
  • Slovak: bunka (sk) f
  • Slovene: celica (sl) f
  • Spanish: célula (es) f
  • Swahili: seli (sw)
  • Swedish: cell (sv) c
  • Tagalog: selula
  • Tajik: ҳуҷайра (tg) (hujayra), клетка (kletka)
  • Tamil: உயிரணு (ta) (uyiraṇu)
  • Tatar: күзәнәк (tt) (küzänäk)
  • Telugu: కణము (te) (kaṇamu)
  • Thai: เซลล์ (th) (seel), เซล (seel)
  • Turkish: hücre (tr)
  • Turkmen: öýjük
  • Ukrainian: кліти́на (uk) f (klitýna), комі́рка f (komírka)
  • Urdu: خلیہ (ur)
  • Uyghur: ھۈجەيرە(hüjeyre)
  • Uzbek: hujayra (uz)
  • Vietnamese: tế bào (vi) (細胞)
  • Volapük: siül (vo)
  • Walloon: celure (wa) f
  • Welsh: cell (cy) f
  • Yiddish: צעל(tsel)
  • Zazaki: hucre m

biological cavity

  • Arabic: خَلِيَّة‎ f (ḵaliyya)
  • Armenian: բջիջ (hy) (bǰiǰ)
  • Bulgarian: кили́йка f (kilíjka)
  • Cornish: kell f
  • Czech: buňka (cs) f
  • Danish: celle (da) c
  • Faroese: kykna f
  • Finnish: kenno (fi) (of a honeycomb)
  • French: cellule (fr) f (of a honeycomb)
  • Greek: οπή (el) f (opí), κελί (el) n (kelí)
  • Hungarian: lépsejt
  • Japanese: 巣穴 (すあな, suana)
  • Latvian: šūna f
  • Lithuanian: akis (lt) f
  • Macedonian: ќелија f (ḱelija)
  • Maltese: xehda f
  • Polish: komórka (pl) f
  • Portuguese: célula (pt) f
  • Russian: яче́йка (ru) f (jačéjka)
  • Slovak: bunka (sk) f
  • Swahili: seli (sw)
  • Swedish: cell (sv) c
  • Ukrainian: комі́рка f (komírka)
  • Volapük: ziöb (vo)
  • Welsh: cell (cy) f

minimal unit of a cellular automaton that can change state and has an associated behavior

  • Japanese: セル (seru)
  • Macedonian: ќелија f (ḱelija)
  • Polish: komórka (pl) f
  • Swahili: seli (sw)

geometry: a three-dimensional facet of a polytope

  • Korean: 포(胞) (ko) (po)
  • Macedonian: ќелија f (ḱelija)
  • Swahili: seli (sw)

statistics: the unit in a statistical array (a spreadsheet, for example) where a row and a column intersect

Verb[edit]

cell (third-person singular simple present cells, present participle celling, simple past and past participle celled)

  1. (transitive) To place or enclose in a cell.
    • 1586, William Warner, Albion’s England:

      Myself a recluse from the world, And celled under ground, Lest that the gould, the precious stones, And pleasures, here be found

Etymology 2[edit]

From cell phone, from cellular phone, from cellular + telephone.

Noun[edit]

cell (plural cells)

  1. (US, informal) A cellular phone.
Usage notes[edit]
  • Widely used attributively.
Translations[edit]

informal: a cellular telephone See also translations at mobile phone

  • Afrikaans: selfoon (af)
  • Arabic: خَلَوِيّ(ḵalawiyy)
  • Armenian: բջջային (hy) (bǰǰayin)
  • Chinese:
    Cantonese: 手機手机 (sau2 gei1), 手提 (sau2 tai4)
    Mandarin: 手機手机 (zh) (shǒujī), 大哥大 (zh) (dàgēdà) (slang)
  • Dutch: mobieltje (nl) n
  • Finnish: kännykkä (fi) (informal)
  • French: portable (fr) m, mobile (fr) m
  • German: Handy (de) n
  • Greek: κινητό (el) n (kinitó), κινητό τηλέφωνο (el) n (kinitó tiléfono)
  • Hebrew: סלולרי‎ m (selolári)
  • Indonesian: telepon seluler (id)
  • Italian: cellulare (it)
  • Japanese: ケータイ (ja) (kētai), 携帯電話 (ja) (keitai denwa)
  • Macedonian: мобилен m (mobilen)
  • Polish: komórka (pl) f
  • Portuguese: (telefone (pt)) celular (pt) m
  • Romanian: celular (ro) n, mobil (ro) n
  • Russian: моби́ла (ru) f (mobíla), моби́льный телефо́н (ru) m (mobílʹnyj telefón), моби́льник (ru) m (mobílʹnik), сото́вый (ru) m (sotóvyj), со́товый телефо́н (ru) m (sótovyj telefón), со́тик (ru) m (sótik)
  • Spanish: teléfono móvil m, móvil (es) m, teléfono celular m, celular (es) m
  • Swahili: seli (sw)
  • Swedish: mobil (sv)
  • Telugu: సెల్ (sel)
  • Turkish: cep (tr), cep telefonu (tr)

Further reading[edit]

  • cell in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • “cell”, in The Century Dictionary [], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
  • cell at OneLook Dictionary Search
  • Cell in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Clipping of cellulair or borrowed directly from English cell.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /sɛl/
  • Hyphenation: cell

Noun[edit]

cell m (plural cells, diminutive celltje n)

  1. (Suriname, colloquial) cellular phone, mobile phone.
    • 2001, Alex van Stipriaan, “Contact! Marrons en de transport- en communicatierevolutie in het Surinaamse binnenland [Contact! Maroons and the transport and communication revolution in Suriname’s hinterland]”, in OSO. Tijdschrift voor Surinaamse taalkunde, letterkunde en geschiedenis[1], page 41:

      Door de ‘cell’ is het mogelijk de banden met verwanten elders innig te houden of zelfs te herstellen.

      The mobile phone makes it possible to keep close ties with relatives elsewhere or even to restore them.
    Synonyms: (Belgium) gsm, (Netherlands) mobiel

Derived terms[edit]

  • cellnummer

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Clipping of cellulaire; influenced by North American English cell

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /sɛl/

Noun[edit]

cell m (plural cells)

  1. (Quebec, colloquial) cellular phone, mobile phone; clipping of téléphone cellulaire.
    Synonyms: portable, téléphone portable, téléphone cellulaire, cellulaire, téléphone mobile, mobile

Middle English[edit]

Noun[edit]

cell

  1. Alternative form of celle

Old Irish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin cella.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /kʲel͈/

Noun[edit]

cell f

  1. church

Inflection[edit]

Feminine ā-stem
Singular Dual Plural
Nominative cellL ceillL, cillN cellaH
Vocative cellL ceillL, cillN cellaH
Accusative ceillN, cillN ceillL, cillN cellaH
Genitive cilleH cellL cellN
Dative ceillL, cillN cellaib cellaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective:

  • H = triggers aspiration
  • L = triggers lenition
  • N = triggers nasalization

Descendants[edit]

  • Irish: cill
  • Manx: keeill
  • Scottish Gaelic: cill

Mutation[edit]

Old Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Nasalization
cell chell cell
pronounced with /ɡ(ʲ)-/
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References[edit]

  • G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “cell”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Swedish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin cella

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

cell c

  1. cell; a room in a prison.
  2. Cell; a room in a monastery for sleeping one person.
  3. Cell; a small group of people forming part of a larger organization.
  4. (biology) Cell; the basic unit of a living organism.
  5. (biology) Cell; a cavity in a structure such as a honeycomb.
  6. (computing) Cell; a minimal unit of a cellular automaton.

Declension[edit]

Declension of cell 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative cell cellen celler cellerna
Genitive cells cellens cellers cellernas

Welsh[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle Welsh kell, from Proto-Brythonic *kell, from Latin cella.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /kɛɬ/

Noun[edit]

cell f (plural celloedd, diminutive cellan)

  1. cell

Derived terms[edit]

  • cell waed (blood cell)
  • cellbilen (cell membrane)
  • cellfur (cell wall)
  • cellog (cellular)
  • cellraniad (cell division)
  • claddgell (burial chamber)
  • gwaetgel (blood cell)
  • llyfrgell (library)

Mutation[edit]

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
cell gell nghell chell
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Like this post? Please share to your friends:
  • The word caught in a sentence
  • The word cat is a verb
  • The word cat into a cat
  • The word cat in german
  • The word cat in a sentence