mitochondria - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

mi·to·chon·dri·on

Audio Help [mahy-tuh-kon-dree-uh

n] Pronunciation Key

–noun, plural -dri·a

Audio Help [-dree-uh] Pronunciation Key. Cell Biology.

an organelle in the cytoplasm of cells that functions in energy production.

[Origin: 1900–05; < Gk míto(s) thread + chóndrion small grain, equiv. to chóndr(os) grain, corn + -ion dim. suffix

]

—Related forms

mi·to·chon·dri·al, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
mitochondria

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mi·to·chon·dri·on Audio Help (mī'tə-kŏn'drē-ən) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. mi·to·chon·dri·a (-drē-ə)
A spherical or elongated organelle in the cytoplasm of nearly all eukaryotic cells, containing genetic material and many enzymes important for cell metabolism, including those responsible for the conversion of food to usable energy. Also called chondriosome.

[New Latin : Greek mitos, warp thread + Greek khondrion, diminutive of khondros, grain, granule; see ghrendh- in Indo-European roots.]

mi'to·chon'dri·al (-drē-əl) adj.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
mitochondria

1901, from Ger., coined 1898 by microbiologist Carl Benda (1857-1933), from Gk. mitos "thread" + khondrion "little granule."

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

mitochondrion Audio Help (mī'tə-kŏn'drē-ən) Pronunciation Key
Plural mitochondria
A structure in the cytoplasm of all cells except bacteria in which food molecules (sugars, fatty acids, and amino acids) are broken down in the presence of oxygen and converted to energy in the form of ATP. Mitochondria have an inner and outer membrane. The inner membrane has many twists and folds (called cristae), which increase the surface area available to proteins and their associative reactions. The inner membrane encloses a liquid containing DNA, RNA, small ribosomes, and solutes. The DNA in mitochondria is genetically distinct from that in the cell nucleus, and mitochondria can manufacture some of their own proteins independent of the rest of the cell. Each cell can contain thousands of mitochondria, which move about producing ATP in response to the cell's need for chemical energy. It is thought that mitochondria originated as separate, single-celled organisms that became so symbiotic with their hosts as to be indispensible. Mitochondrial DNA is thus considered a remnant of a past existence as a separate organism. See more at cell , cellular respiration.

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