cell

[[t]sɛl[/t]]

n.

1) a small room, as in a convent or prison

2) any of various small compartments or bounded areas forming part of a whole

3) cbl a usu. microscopic structure containing nuclear and cytoplasmic material enclosed by a semipermeable membrane and, in plants, a cell wall; the basic structural unit of all organisms

4) gov a small group acting as a unit within a larger organization:

a local cell of a political party[/ex]

5) elm a device that converts chemical energy into electricity, usu. consisting of two different kinds of conductors surrounded by an electrolyte; battery

6) Also called electrolytic cell

a device for producing electrolysis, consisting essentially of the electrolyte, its container, and the electrodes.

7) rel a monastery or nunnery, dependent on a larger religious house

8) ent one of the areas into which the wing of an insect is divided by the veins

9) bot

locule

10) one of the separate areas covered by a radio transmitter in a cellular phone system

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Etymology: bef. 1150; MEcelle(< OF), OEcell< ML cella monastic cell, L: room; see cella