cell
cell Lexical Profile
cell Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The smallest structural and functional microscopic unit of a living organism, typically consisting of cytoplasm and a nucleus enclosed within a membrane.
"The biology students used a microscope to observe the structure of an onion cell."
A small, sparsely furnished room in which a prisoner is locked up or in which a monk or nun lives and prays.
"The medieval monastery preserved the tiny stone cell where the scholar wrote his manuscripts."
North American A portable telephone that operates through a cellular radio network; a cellphone.
"Please call me on my cell as soon as your flight lands."
An individual box or rectangular unit formed by the intersection of a row and a column in a spreadsheet or table, or a single compartment in a honeycomb.
"Enter the total monthly revenue into the highlighted cell at the bottom of the spreadsheet."
A device containing electrodes and an electrolyte used for generating an electric current from a chemical reaction or solar energy, or for electrolysis.
"The calculator is powered by a small solar cell mounted above the display screen."
• verb
To enclose, store, or confine in a cell or small compartments.
"The bees celled the newly gathered honey within the wax comb."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'cell' with its homophone 'sell' (the verb meaning to exchange goods or services for money).
• Rhymes for cell
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French 'celle', from Latin 'cella' meaning 'small room, storeroom, or hut'. The biological sense was coined by English scientist Robert Hooke in 1665, who observed cork tissue under a microscope and likened its tiny pores to the austere rooms inhabited by monks.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.