cell

cell [sel]

n.

[ME < OE < OFr celle < L cella, small room, hut (LL(Ec), monastic cell) < IE base * kel-, to conceal > HALL, HELL, HULL¹, Goth halja]

1. a small convent or monastery attached to a larger one

2. a hermit's hut

3. a small room or cubicle, as in a convent or prison

4. a very small hollow, cavity, or enclosed space; specif.,

a) any of the compartments in a honeycomb

b) a small, hollow space in tissue, esp. in bone

c) the space of an insect's wings enclosed by the veins

d) any compartment of an ovary; also, a pollen sac or spore sac

5. any of the smallest organizational units of a group or movement, as of a Communist party

6. Biol. a very small, complex unit of protoplasm, usually with a nucleus, cytoplasm, and an enclosing membrane: all plants and animals are made up of one or more cells that usually combine to form various tissues

7. Elec.

a) an open or sealed container holding electrodes and an electrolyte, used to generate electricity by chemical reactions or to decompose compounds by electrolysis

b) any compartment of a storage battery

c) a unit within any device, as a solar battery, that produces voltage by converting radiant energy into electrical energy

celled

adj.