French word

cellule

Pronunciation

IPA/selyl/

Meaning

  • feminine nouncell

Example

Toutes les cellules du corps ont besoin d'oxygène.

All the cells in the body need oxygen.

Illustration for cellule (cell)

More examples

La cellule est l'unité de base des êtres vivants.

The cell is the basic unit of living things.

Core concept

A small self-contained unit inside a larger body or system.

Common phrases

  • les cellules du corps

    body cells

  • une cellule souche

    a stem cell

Similar words

case: A box in a table or spreadsheet where text or numbers are entered.
groupe: People joined together for a particular purpose or activity.
élément: A component of a larger whole.

Definition in French

Petit groupe ou compartiment autonome au sein d'une organisation ou d'un système; en biologie, unité élémentaire de l'organisme.

Word origin

French cellule comes from Latin cellula, a diminutive of cella meaning a small room, and developed from a physical compartment to an elementary unit of an organism.

Usage tips

  • Cellule is feminine, so the usual article is une cellule, as in une cellule du corps.

Other meanings

  • prison cellnoun
  • compartmentnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word