: 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
: 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 radiationsense 1)
6
: a unit in a statistical array (see arrayentry 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
terrorist cells
8
: a portion of the atmosphere that behaves as a unit
a storm cell
9
a
: any of the small sections of a geographic area of a cellular (see cellularentry 1 sense 3) telephone system
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 WebNearly every cell in your body has its own molecular clock that listens to signals from the master pacemaker in our brain.WIRED, 9 Sep. 2022 This means fetal cell lines were not used in its development. Jessica Van Egeren, Journal Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2022 This is somehow immediately known to the Bad Guys, who blow up Brenda’s cell with threatening messages, then kidnap a family member as collateral. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 8 Sep. 2022 Many evacuation experts recommend using a federal Amber Alert-style system, which automatically pings every cell phone in a disaster area, but significant cell-phone infrastructure was soon overloaded or destroyed during the disaster. Ingfei Chen, The New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2022 The Long Beach Police Department offered to host Banks at their jail across the street that night, but the sheriff's department returned him to the same facility and didn’t provide a cell with a blanket and bed until 3:30 a.m., his lawyers said.Fox News, 6 Sep. 2022 Protein is vital for repair of all cells, especially for muscle cells after a tough workout; carbs provide a quick source of energy; and fat is essential for cell growth and development, as SELF reported previously. Audrey Bruno, SELF, 6 Sep. 2022 Strategies range from developing drugs that protect people with vision loss against further damage to restoring vision with cell and gene therapies that would replace, regenerate or repair retinal neurons that no longer work. Ron Winslow, WSJ, 4 Sep. 2022 Treatment can involve chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted drug therapy, immune cell engineering, a bone marrow transplant and immunotherapy. Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 3 Sep. 2022 See More
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