1. (biology) the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms; they may exist as independent units of life (as in monads) or may form colonies or tissues as in higher plants and animals
   "The microscope revealed the intricate structures within the cell"
    
2. Any small compartment
   "the cells of a honeycomb"
    
3. [N. Amer] A portable telephone that connects with the telephone network using radio waves
   "She used her cell to call for help when her car broke down";
   - cellular telephone, cellular phone, cellphone, mobile phone, mobile [Brit], cellular [N. Amer], mobe [informal]
    
4. A room where a prisoner is kept
   "The inmate spent 23 hours a day in his jail cell"; "The prison cell was sparse, containing only a bed and a toilet";
   - jail cell, prison cell, peter [Austral, NZ, informal]
    
5. Small room in which a monk or nun lives
   "The austere cell contained only a bed, a desk, and a chair";
   - cubicle
    
6. A device that delivers an electric current as the result of a chemical reaction
   "The flashlight stopped working when its electric cell ran out of power";
   - electric cell
    
7. A small unit serving as part of or as the nucleus of a larger political movement
   "The underground resistance was organized into small cells to avoid detection";
   - cadre
    
8. (computing) a position in an electronic spreadsheet identified by its row and column
   "He entered the formula in cell B4 of the spreadsheet"

Sounds like: sell

Derived forms: cells

Type of: animate thing, compartment, electrical device, living thing, political entity, political unit, radiophone, radiotelephone, room, wireless telephone

Part of: being, cellblock, convent, monastery, organism, political movement, ward

Encyclopedia: Cell