protocell

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noun

A self-organized, endogenously ordered, spherical collection of phospholipids proposed as a stepping-stone to the origin of life

OriginEnglish cell ← Ancient Greek πρωτο- (prōto-) ← Proto-Indo-European *pró →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

nounprotocell (plural protocells)

plural protocells

  1. biologyA self-organized, endogenously ordered, spherical collection of phospholipids proposed as a stepping-stone to the origin of life

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-der.?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*pér
  3. Proto-Indo-European*pró
  4. Ancient Greekπρό (pró)
  5. Ancient Greekπρῶτος (prôtos)
  6. Ancient Greekπρωτο- (prōto-)
  7. Englishproto-
  8. Englishcell
  9. Englishprotocell

From proto- + cell.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish esisolu
  • esisolustepping-stone to the origin of life
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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