Monocellular

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. An organism that is comprised of a solitary cell, executing all vital biological functions essential for life within that single cellular unit
2. A life form made up of a single cell, managing all necessary metabolic and reproductive processes within its singular structure
3. An entity consisting of a lone cell that carries out all fundamental life processes, including metabolism and reproduction within its singular form

Etymology: "Monocellular" is a plain compound: "mono-", from Greek "monos" meaning "single" or "alone," joined to "cellular," which describes anything made of cells. The combination describes an organism whose entire body is a single cell, the opposite of a multicellular creature built from many cells working together. The more interesting detail is the word's construction itself. "Cellular" comes from Latin "cellula," a diminutive of "cella," a small room or storeroom, and this is the same image that led Robert Hooke to name the cells he saw under his microscope in the 1660s, since they reminded him of the tiny compartments of a monastery. The prefix "mono-" is a Greek element that English scientists have used freely to build precise technical terms, so "monocellular" is a modern scientific coinage assembled from these parts rather than a word used by the ancients.

Synonyms: unicellular

Antonyms: multicellular