cell

1 any small compartment; "the cells of a honeycomb"

2 (biology) the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms; cells may exist as independent units of life (as in monads) or may form colonies or tissues as in higher plants and animals

3 a device that delivers an electric current as the result of a chemical reaction [syn: electric cell]

4 a small unit serving as part of or as the nucleus of a larger political movement [syn: cadre]

5 a hand-held mobile radiotelephone for use in an area divided into small sections (cells), each with its own short-range transmitter/receiver [syn: cellular telephone, cellular phone, cellphone, mobile phone]

6 small room is which a monk or nun lives [syn: cubicle]

7 a room where a prisoner is kept [syn: jail cell, prison cell]

English

Etymology

From cella.

Pronunciation

• /sɛl/, /sEl/

Homophones

• cel
• sell

Noun

1. A component of an electrical battery.

   This MP3 player runs on 2 AAA cells.

2. A room in a prison for containing inmates.

   The combatants spent the night in separate cells.

3. A room in a monastery for sleeping one person.

   Gregor Mendel must have spent a good amount of time outside of his cell.

4. A small group of people forming part of a larger organization.

   Those three fellows are the local cell of that organization.

5. A small thunderstorm, caused by convection, that forms ahead of a storm front.

   There is a powerful storm cell headed our way.

6. The basic unit of a living organism, surrounded by a cell membrane.

   There is a virtual zoo of single cell organisms living in your mouth.

7. An cavity in a structure such as a honeycomb or ovary.

   The bee filled the cell with honey.

1. 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.

2. A short, fixed-length packet as in asynchronous transfer mode.

   Virtual Channel number 5 received 170 cells.

3. A region of radio reception that is a part of a larger radio network.

   I get good reception in my home because it is near a cell tower.

4. In the context of "US|informal}} A cellular phone.

Cell may refer to:

In science:

• Cell (biology), the basic organizational unit of all living organisms
• Cell (journal), a scientific journal
• Cell (geometry), a three-dimensional element that is part of a higher-dimensional object.
• Storm cell, an updraft region in a thunderstorm
• A basic unit of a cellular automaton

In technology:

• Cell (EDA), a term used in electronic circuit design schematics
• Cell (microprocessor), a microprocessor architecture developed by Sony, Toshiba, and IBM
• Electrochemical cell, a device for extracting electricity from chemical reactions, often used as part of a battery
• An individual production area in cellular manufacturing
• An area of radio coverage in a cellular network
  • An informal name for a cellular telephone
• A fixed-length packet in a cell relay communication network, such as ATM

In music:

• Cell (music), a rhythmic, melodic, motivic, or intervallic group, set, or figure
• Cell (Alexandre Scheffer), electronic music composer
• Cell (band), a rock band

In fiction:

• Cell (novel), a 2006 horror novel by Stephen King
• Cell (comics), a Marvel comic book character
• Cell (Dragon Ball), a character in Dragon Ball media

In society:

• Prison cell, a room used to hold people in prisons
• A unit of a clandestine cell system, a penetration-resistant form of a secret or outlawed organization
• A group of people in a cell church

See also

• The Cell (disambiguation)
• Cellular (disambiguation)
• Cel, a transparent sheet used in traditional animation

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