CELL

cell

(noun) (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 animals

cell, electric cell

(noun) a device that delivers an electric current as the result of a chemical reaction

cell, jail cell, prison cell

(noun) a room where a prisoner is kept

cell, cubicle

(noun) small room in which a monk or nun lives

cell

(noun) any small compartment; “the cells of a honeycomb”

cell, cadre

(noun) a small unit serving as part of or as the nucleus of a larger political movement

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology 1

Noun

cell (plural cells)

A single-room dwelling for a hermit. [from 10th c.]

(now historical) A small monastery or nunnery dependent on a larger religious establishment. [from 11th c.]

A small room in a monastery or nunnery accommodating one person. [from 14th c.]

A room in a prison or jail for one or more inmates. [from 18th c.]

Synonym: prison cell

Each of the small hexagonal compartments in a honeycomb. [from 14th c.]

(biology, now chiefly botany) Any of various chambers in a tissue or organism having specific functions. [from 14th c.]

(entomology) The discal cell of the wing of a lepidopteran insect.

(obsolete) Specifically, any of the supposed compartments of the brain, formerly thought to be the source of specific mental capacities, knowledge, or memories. [14th-19th c.]

A section or compartment of a larger structure. [from 16th c.]

(obsolete, chiefly literary) Any small dwelling; a remote nook, a den. [16th-19th c.]

A device which stores electrical power; used either singly or together in batteries; the basic unit of a battery. [from 19th c.]

(biology) The basic unit of a living organism, consisting of a quantity of protoplasm surrounded by a cell membrane, which is able to synthesize proteins and replicate itself. [from 19th c.]

(meteorology) A small thunderstorm, caused by convection, that forms ahead of a storm front. [from 20th c.]

(computing) The minimal unit of a cellular automaton that can change state and has an associated behavior. [from 20th c.]

(card games) In FreeCell-type games, a space where one card can be placed.

A small group of people forming part of a larger organization, often an outlawed one. [from 20th c.]

(communication) A short, fixed-length packet as in asynchronous transfer mode. [from 20th c.]

(communication) A region of radio reception that is a part of a larger radio network.

(geometry) A three-dimensional facet of a polytope.

(statistics) The unit in a statistical array (a spreadsheet, for example) where a row and a column intersect.

(architecture) The space between the ribs of a vaulted roof.

(architecture) A cella.

(entomology) An area of an insect wing bounded by veins

Usage notes

In the sense of an electrical device, "cell" is the technically correct name for a single unit of battery-type power storage, whereas a battery is a device comprising multiple of them, though it is often used for simple cells.

Synonyms

• See also cell

Verb

cell (third-person singular simple present cells, present participle celling, simple past and past participle celled)

(transitive) To place or enclose in a cell.

Etymology 2

Noun

cell (plural cells)

(US, informal) A cellular phone.

Usage notes

• Widely used attributively.

Source: Wiktionary

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Cell, n. Etym: [OF. celle, fr. L. cella; akin to celare to hide, and E. hell, helm, conceal. Cf. Hall.]

1. A very small and close apartment, as in a prison or in a monastery or convent; the hut of a hermit. The heroic confessor in his cell. Macaulay.

2. A small religious house attached to a monastery or convent. "Cells or dependent priories." Milman.

3. Any small cavity, or hollow place.

4. (Arch.) (a) The space between the ribs of a vaulted roof. (b) Same as Cella.

5. (Elec.)

Definition: A jar of vessel, or a division of a compound vessel, for holding the exciting fluid of a battery.

6. (Biol.)

Definition: One of the minute elementary structures, of which the greater part of the various tissues and organs of animals and plants are composed.

Note: All cells have their origin in the primary cell from which the organism was developed. In the lowest animal and vegetable forms, one single cell constitutes the complete individual, such being called unicelluter orgamisms. A typical cell is composed of a semifluid mass of protoplasm, more or less granular, generally containing in its center a nucleus which in turn frequently contains one or more nucleoli, the whole being surrounded by a thin membrane, the cell wall. In some cells, as in those of blood, in the amoeba, and in embryonic cells (both vegetable and animal), there is no restricting cell wall, while in some of the unicelluliar organisms the nucleus is wholly wanting. See Illust. of Bipolar. Air cell. See Air cell.

– Cell development (called also cell genesis, cell formation, and cytogenesis), the multiplication, of cells by a process of reproduction under the following common forms; segmentation or fission, gemmation or budding, karyokinesis, and endogenous multiplication. See Segmentation, Gemmation, etc.

– Cell theory. (Biol.) See Cellular theory, under Cellular.

Cell, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Celled.]

Definition: To place or inclosed in a cell. "Celled under ground." [R.] Warner.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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