cell

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noun

a small room, as in a convent or prison.

any of various small compartments or bounded areas forming part of a whole.

a small group acting as a unit within a larger organization: a local cell of the Communist party.

Biology. a usually microscopic structure containing nuclear and cytoplasmic material enclosed by a semipermeable membrane and, in plants, a cell wall; the basic structural unit of all organisms.

Entomology. one of the areas into which the wing of an insect is divided by the veins.

Botany, locule.

Electricity.

Also called battery, electric cell, electrochemical cell, galvanic cell, voltaic cell. a device that generates electrical energy from chemical energy, usually consisting of two different conducting substances placed in an electrolyte. Compare dry cell.

solar cell.

Also called electrolytic cell. Physical Chemistry. a device for producing electrolysis, consisting essentially of the electrolyte, its container, and the electrodes.

Aeronautics. the gas container of a balloon.

10.

Ecclesiastical. a monastery or nunnery, usually small, dependent on a larger religious house.

11.

Telecommunications. See under cellular phone.

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verb (used without object)

12.

to live in a cell: The two prisoners had celled together for three years.

00:10

Cell is always a great word to know.

So is typical. Does it mean:

a grouping of tissues into a distinct structure, as a heart or kidney in animals or a leaf or stamen in plants, that performs a specialized task

exemplifying most nearly the essential characteristics of a higher group in natural history, and forming the type

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Origin:
before 1150; 1665–75 for def 4; Middle English celle < Old French celle < Medieval Latin cella monastic cell, Latin: room (see cella); Old English cell < Medieval Latin, as above; see cella

Related forms

cell-like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

cel.

noun

a mobile telephone system using low-powered radio transmitters, with each transmitter covering a distinct geographical area (cell) and computer equipment to switch a call from one area to another, thus enabling large-scale car or portable phone service.

mobile phone.

Also called cell· phone·, cellular telephone.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To cell

Collins

World English Dictionary

cel or cell (sɛl)

—n
	celluloid short for celluloid

cell or cell

—n

cell¹ (sɛl)

—n
1.	a small simple room, as in a prison, convent, monastery, or asylum; cubicle
2.	any small compartment: the cells of a honeycomb
3.	biology the basic structural and functional unit of living organisms. It consists of a nucleus, containing the genetic material, surrounded by the cytoplasm in which are mitochondria, lysosomes, ribosomes, and other organelles. All cells are bounded by a cell membrane; plant cells have an outer cell wall in addition
4.	biology any small cavity or area, such as the cavity containing pollen in an anther
5.	primary cell secondary cell dry cell wet cell See also fuel cell a device for converting chemical energy into electrical energy, usually consisting of a container with two electrodes immersed in an electrolyte
6.	short for electrolytic cell
7.	a small religious house dependent upon a larger one
8.	a small group of persons operating as a nucleus of a larger political, religious, or other organization: Communist cell
9.	maths a small unit of volume in a mathematical coordinate system
10.	zoology one of the areas on an insect wing bounded by veins
11.	the geographical area served by an individual transmitter in a cellular radio network

[C12: from Medieval Latin cella monk's cell, from Latin: room, storeroom; related to Latin cēlāre to hide]

'cell-like¹

—*adj*

cell² (sɛl)

—n
	a variant spelling of cel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

cell

c.1131, "small room," from L. cella "small room, hut," related to L. celare "to hide, conceal," from PIE base *kel- "conceal" (cf. Skt. cala "hut, house, hall;" Gk. kalia "hut, nest," kalyptein "to cover," koleon "sheath," kelyphos "shell, husk;" L. cella "store room," clam "secret;" O.Ir. cuile "cellar,"

celim "hide," M.Ir. cul "defense, shelter;" Goth. hulistr "covering," O.E. heolstor "lurking-hole, cave, covering," Goth. huljan "cover over," hulundi "hole," hilms "helmet," halja "hell," O.E. hol "cave," holu "husk, pod"). Earliest sense is for monastic rooms, then prison rooms (1722). Used in biology 17c., but not in modern sense until 1845. Meaning "small group of people working within a larger organization" is from 1925. Cell body is from 1878; cell division from 1882; cell membrane from 1870; cell wall from c.1848.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

cell (sěl)
n.

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.
A small enclosed cavity or space.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage

Science Dictionary

cell

(sěl) Pronunciation Key

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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 eukaryote , prokaryote.
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 cell , solar cell , voltaic cell.

cellular adjective

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

cell definition

A region of the atmosphere in which air tends to circulate without flowing outward.

cell definition

The basic unit of all living things except viruses. In advanced organisms, cells consist of a nucleus (which contains genetic material), cytoplasm, and organelles, all of which are surrounded by a cell membrane.

Note: Groups of cells with similar structure and function form tissues.

FOLDOC

Computing Dictionary

cell definition

1. In a spreadsheet, the intersection of a row a column and a sheet, the smallest addressable unit of data. A cell contains either a constant value or a formula that is used to calculate a value. The cell has a format that determines how to display the value. A cell can be part of a range. A cell is usually referred to by its column (labelled by one or more letters from the sequence A, B, ..., Z, AA, AB, ..., AZ, BA, BB, ..., BZ, ... ) and its row number counting up from one, e.g. cell B3 is in the second column across and the third row down. A cell also belongs to a particular sheet, e.g. "Sheet 1".
2. ATM's term for a packet.
(2007-10-22)

American Heritage

Abbreviations & Acronyms

cell