[sel] 
| 1. | a small room, as in a convent or prison. |
| 2. | any of various small compartments or bounded areas forming part of a whole. |
| 3. | a small group acting as a unit within a larger organization: a local cell of the Communist party. |
| 4. | 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. |
| 5. | Entomology. one of the areas into which the wing of an insect is divided by the veins. |
| 6. | Botany. locule. |
| 7. | Electricity.
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| 8. | Also called electrolytic cell. Physical Chemistry. a device for producing electrolysis, consisting essentially of the electrolyte, its container, and the electrodes. |
| 9. | 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. |
| 12. | to live in a cell: The two prisoners had celled together for three years. |
| primary cell n. A cell in which an irreversible chemical reaction generates electricity; a cell that cannot be recharged. Also called galvanic cell, voltaic cell. |
| voltaic cell n. See primary cell. |
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.
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.
cell (sěl) Pronunciation Key
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cellular adjective |
| voltaic cell (vŏl-tā'ĭk) Pronunciation Key
See electric cell. |