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cells

noun · verb

Form of cell , plural of cell.

Simple meaning

A device which stores electrical power.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

sehlz
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈsɛlz

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. plural of cell

    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.

  2. plural of cell

    A device which stores electrical power; used either singly or together in batteries; the basic unit of a battery.

  3. plural of cell

    A room in a prison or jail for one or more inmates.

  4. plural of cell

    A small room in a monastery or nunnery accommodating one person.

verb

  1. third-person singular of cell

    To place or enclose in a cell.

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: 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.

Used this way, cells is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a scientific use: it names something precisely within a field of study, so it appears in research and teaching more than in conversation.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Specialist/technical
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Specialized
Connotation
Clinical and technical
Usage feel
Technical and specialized

Where it naturally appears

  • Science
  • Academic writing
  • Technical/specialist writing

Usage note

In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

blood cellsepithelial cellsred cellsstem cellsnerve cellscancer cellsmast cellsgerm cells

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • cellnounBase word

    Any small compartment.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • packed cellsnounCompound term

    A preparation of blood cells separated from the liquid plasma.

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

  • cellularadjectiveRelated term

    Relating to cells.

  • cellular respirationnounRelated term

    The metabolic processes whereby certain organisms obtain energy from organic molecules.

  • cell deathnounRelated term

    The normal degeneration and death of living cells (as in various epithelial cells).

  • cell divisionnounRelated term

    The process in reproduction and growth by which a cell divides to form daughter cells.

  • cell doctrinenounRelated term

    The theory that cells form the fundamental structural and functional units of all living organisms.

  • cell-mediated immune responsenounRelated term

    An immune response (chiefly against viral or fungal invasions or transplanted tissue) that involves T cells.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.