minicell

M3I1N1I1C3E1L1L1

noun

An achromosomal cell resulting from aberrant cell division, containing RNA and protein but little or no chromosomal DNA.

Scrabble 12
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounminicell (plural minicells)

plural minicells

  1. biologyAn achromosomal cell resulting from aberrant cell division, containing RNA and protein but little or no chromosomal DNA.

    Both Dr. Hoffman’s method and the minicells, in different ways, revisit these old observations.

    2009 June 29, Nicholas Wade, “New Cancer Treatment Shows Promise in Testing”, in New York Times

Origin

From mini- + cell.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

minicell. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/minicell

MLA

“minicell.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/minicell. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “minicell,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/minicell.

Source: minicell on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.