Cell Definition

sĕl

cells

noun

cells

A narrow confining room, as in a prison or convent.

American Heritage

A small enclosed cavity or space, such as a compartment in a honeycomb or within a plant ovary or an area bordered by veins in an insect's wing.

American Heritage

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

Webster's New World

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.

Webster's New World

A hermit's hut.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

verb

To store in a honeycomb.

American Heritage

To live in or share a prison cell.

American Heritage

adjective

Cellular.

Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Cell

Noun

Singular:

cell

Plural:

cells

Origin of Cell

Old English *cella (attested in inflected forms), from Latin cella (“chamber, small room, compartment”), later reinforced by Anglo-Norman cel, sele, Old French cele.

From Wiktionary
Middle English celle from Old English cell and from Old French both from Latin cella chamber kel-¹ in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From cell phone, from cellular phone, from cellular + telephone

From Wiktionary