cell /sɛl/noun 24verb 1forms 3phrases 2 noun24 •Each of the small hexagonal compartments in a honeycomb. •a tiny unit of life, many of which together form a plant or an animalAn American company has applied to experiment in Britain on Parkinson's disease sufferers by injecting their brains with cells from pigs. — 1999 •A room in a prison or jail for one or more inmates.The combatants spent the night in separate cells. •(US, informal) A cellular phone. •A small group of people forming part of a larger organization, often an outlawed one.Those three fellows are the local cell of that organization. •The minimal unit of a cellular automaton that can change state and has an associated behavior.The upper right cell always starts with the color green. •In FreeCell-type games, a space where one card can be placed. •The unit in a statistical array (a spreadsheet, for example) where a row and a column intersect. •A device which stores electrical power; used either singly or together in batteries; the basic unit of a battery.This MP3 player runs on 2 AAA cells. •A region of radio reception, or the group of devices that uses it, that is a part of a larger radio network.I get good reception in my home because it is near a cell tower. •A small thunderstorm, caused by convection, that forms ahead of a storm front.There is a powerful storm cell headed our way. •Any of various chambers in a tissue or organism having specific functions.Each of the two cells or lobes of the anther is marked with a lateral line or furrow, running from top to bottom[…]. — 1858 •The discal cell of the wing of a lepidopteran insect. •A section or compartment of a larger structure. •A three-dimensional facet of a polytope. •The space between the ribs of a vaulted roof. •An area of an insect wing bounded by veins. •A single-room dwelling for a hermit.So, taking them apart into his cell, / He to that point fit speaches gan to frame […]. — 1596 •A small room in a monastery or nunnery accommodating one person.Gregor Mendel must have spent a good amount of time outside of his cell. •A short, fixed-length packet, as in asynchronous transfer mode.Virtual Channel number 5 received 170 cells. •(historical) A small monastery or nunnery dependent on a larger religious establishment. •A cella. •(no longer used) Specifically, any of the supposed compartments of the brain, formerly thought to be the source of specific mental capacities, knowledge, or memories.How soft the music of those village bells / […] With easy force it opens all the cells / Where mem'ry slept. — 1782 •(literary, no longer used) Any small dwelling; a remote nook, a den.Thou seest but the order and policie of this little Cell [translating caveau] wherein thou art placed[…]. — 1603 verb1 •To place or enclose in a cell.Myself a recluse from the world, And celled under ground, Lest that the gould, the precious stones, And pleasures, here be found — 1586 formscelled · celling · cells Phrases with cell cell upTo share a cell with someone. padded cellA room in a mental hospital lined with padding on the walls, and often a cushioned floor, in order to prevent occupants from injuring themselves.
