cell (s l)n.1. A narrow confining room, as in a prison or convent. 2. 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. 3. Biology The smallest structural unit of an organism that is capable of independent functioning, consisting of one or more nuclei, cytoplasm, and various organelles, all surrounded by a semipermeable cell membrane. 5. The smallest organizational unit of a centralized group or movement, especially of a political party of Leninist structure. 6. Electricity a. A single unit for electrolysis or conversion of chemical into electric energy, usually consisting of a container with electrodes and an electrolyte; a battery. Also called electrochemical cell. b. A single unit that converts radiant energy into electric energy: a solar cell. 7. A fuel cell. 8. Computer Science A basic unit of storage in a computer memory that can hold one unit of information, such as a character or word. 9. A geographic area or zone surrounding a transmitter in a cellular telephone system. 10. A storm cell. 11. A small humble abode, such as a hermit's cave or hut. 12. A small religious house dependent on a larger one, such as a priory within an abbey. 13. A box or other unit on a spreadsheet or similar array at the intersection of a column and a row. v. celled, cell·ing, cells v.tr. To store in a honeycomb. v.intr. To live in or share a prison cell.
[Middle English celle, from Old English cell and from Old French, both from Latin cella, chamber; see kel-1 in Indo-European roots.] | cell top: plant cell bottom: animal cell |
cell Noun 1. Biol the smallest unit of an organism that is able to function independently 2. a small simple room in a prison, convent, or monastery 3. any small compartment, such as a cell of a honeycomb 4. a small group operating as the core of a larger organization: Communist cells 5. a device that produces electrical energy by chemical action 6. US and Canad a cellular telephone [Latin cella room, storeroom]
cell (sl)1. The basic unit of living matter in all organisms, consisting of protoplasm enclosed within a cell membrane. All cells except bacterial cells have a distinct nucleus that contains the cell's DNA as well as other structures (called organelles) that include mitochondria, the endoplasmic reticulum, and vacuoles. The main source of energy for all of a cell's biological processes is ATP. See more at eukaryoteprokaryote 2. Any of various devices, or units within such devices, that are capable of converting some form of energy into electricity. Cells contain two electrodes and an electrolyte. See more at electrolytic cellsolar cellvoltaic cell
cellular adjective | cell top: animal cell; bottom: plant cell |
Cell a small religious group or community connected to a monastery or convent; a unit of persons forming part of a network in a political party; a communist cell; a cell of workers.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Noun | 1. |  cell - any small compartment; "the cells of a honeycomb" | | 2. | cell - (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 animalsorganism, being - a living thing that has (or can develop) the ability to act or function independently recombinant - a cell or organism in which genetic recombination has occurred blastomere - any cell resulting from cleavage of a fertilized egg fibre, fiber - 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 cell membrane, cytomembrane, plasma membrane - a thin membrane (a double layer of lipids) enclosing the cytoplasm of a cell; proteins in the membrane control passage of ions (like sodium or potassium or calcium) in and out of the cell; "all cells have a cell membrane" 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; "somatic cells are produced from preexisting cells"; blastema - a mass of undifferentiated cells from which an organ or body part develops energid, protoplast - a biological unit consisting of a nucleus and the body of cytoplasm with which it interacts 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 cytol, cytoplasm - the protoplasm of a cell excluding the nucleus; is full of proteins that control cell metabolism vacuole - a tiny cavity filled with fluid in the cytoplasm of a cell 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 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 daughter cell - a cell formed by the division or budding of another cell; "anthrax grows by dividing into two daughter cells that are generally identical" mother cell - cell from which another cell of an organism (usually of a different sort) develops; "a sperm cell develops from a sperm mother cell" 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 totipotent - having the ability to give rise to unlike cells; "embryonic stem cells are totipotent" | | 3. |  cell - a device that delivers an electric current as the result of a chemical reactionelectrolytic cell - a cell containing an electrolyte in which an applied voltage causes a reaction to occur that would not occur otherwise (such as the breakdown of water into hydrogen and oxygen) fuel cell - cell that produces electricity by oxidation of fuel (hydrogen and oxygen or zinc and air); often used in electric cars | | 4. | cell - a small unit serving as part of or as the nucleus of a larger political movementsleeper cell - a cell of sleepers; "an al-Qaeda sleeper cell may have used Arizona as its base" radical cell, terrorist cell - a cell of terrorists (usually 3 to 5 members); "to insure operational security the members of adjacent terrorist cells usually don't know each other or the identity of their leadership" | | 5. |  cell - a hand-held mobile radiotelephone for use in an area divided into small sections, each with its own short-range transmitter/receiver | | 6. | cell - small room in which a monk or nun livesconvent - a religious residence especially for nuns monastery - the residence of a religious community room - an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling; "the rooms were very small but they had a nice view" | | 7. |  cell - a room where a prisoner is keptcellblock, ward - a division of a prison (usually consisting of several cells) dungeon - a dark cell (usually underground) where prisoners can be confined guardroom - a cell in which soldiers who are prisoners are confined room - an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling; "the rooms were very small but they had a nice view" |
cell
Small group of individuals who work together for clandestine or subversive purposes.
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