Cells

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /sɛlz/

Definitions

1. The smallest structural and functional units of living organisms ; individual compartments within a larger system or structure ; small rooms in a prison or jail used to hold inmates
2. Fundamental living units forming all plants and animals ; distinct sections within a framework or organization ; confined spaces in penitentiaries for detainees
3. Basic units of life that make up all organisms ; separate divisions or units inside equipment or environments ; locked rooms where prisoners are kept

Etymology: The plural "cells" is simply the plural of "cell," so the story is the one behind the singular. That story starts in Rome, where "cella" meant a chamber or small storeroom, and in ancient temples it could refer to the inner room housing a god's statue. The Latin word traces back to a root meaning "to cover," the same idea that gave us a space enclosed on all sides. English received the word twice. Old English had "cell" by the time of the Anglo-Saxons, and Old French later reinforced it with its own forms, "cel" and "cele," so the two streams merged in Middle English. Along the way it lost its native rival: an older Old English word, "cleofa," was displaced and survives today only as the source of "cleve," a rare word for a cleft in rock. The word's meanings then fanned out in separate directions. A small enclosed room gave us the prison cell, while the biologist's use came later, when microscopes showed that living tissue was built from tiny compartments, and "cell" was applied to them. The modern phrase "cell phone" is an ellipsis of "cellular phone," where "cellular" refers to the network divided into small geographic cells.

Synonyms: units, components, entities