somatic cell

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Word: Somatic Cell

Definition: A somatic cell is any cell in a plant or animal that is not involved in reproduction. This means it is not a reproductive cell, like sperm or egg cells. Somatic cells make up most of the body, including skin cells, muscle cells, and blood cells.

Usage Instructions:

• Part of Speech: Noun
• Usage: You can use "somatic cell" when talking about biology, medicine, or genetics, especially when discussing how bodies are made up of different types of cells.

Example:

• "Skin is made up of somatic cells, which help protect our bodies from the outside environment."

Advanced Usage:

In scientific discussions, you might hear about how somatic cells can be differentiated into various types, like nerve cells or liver cells, due to their ability to specialize based on their function in the body.

Word Variants:

• Somatic: This adjective relates to the body, often used to describe things pertaining to the physical body, not the mind.
• Cell: This is a basic unit of life. In biology, it refers to the smallest structural and functional unit of an organism.

Different Meanings:

While "somatic cell" specifically refers to non-reproductive cells, the term "somatic" can also relate to the body in general, often used in phrases like "somatic symptoms," which are physical symptoms that arise from psychological factors.

Synonyms:

• Body cell: Another term that can be used to refer to somatic cells.
• Non-reproductive cell: This is a descriptive phrase that conveys the same meaning.

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

There are no specific idioms or phrasal verbs directly related to "somatic cell," but you might hear related phrases in a biological context, such as "to grow cells" or "to differentiate cells," which refer to processes involving somatic cells.

Summary:

In summary, a somatic cell is any cell in an organism that is not involved in reproduction. It plays a crucial role in the structure and function of the body.

Academic

Noun

1. any of the cells of a plant or animal except the reproductive cells; a cell that does not participate in the production of gametes;
   • somatic cells are produced from preexisting cells

Synonyms

• vegetative cell