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totipotent

American

[toh-tip-uh-tuhnt] / toʊˈtɪp ə tənt /

adjective

Biology.

(of a cell or part) having the potential for developing in various specialized ways in response to external or internal stimuli.

totipotent British

/ təʊˈtɪpətənt /

adjective

(of an animal cell) capable of differentiation and so forming a new individual, tissue, organ, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

totipotency

noun

Etymology

Origin of totipotent

First recorded in 1895–1900; toti- + potent ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Artificial regulation of such totipotent cells through plant tissue culture is widely used for plant conservation, breeding, generation of GM species, and scientific research purposes.

From Science Daily • May 1, 2024

At the moment that a sperm penetrates an egg, that single-cell zygote is what is known as totipotent: It is pure potential.

From New York Times • Jul. 9, 2015

The apparently totipotent cells continued to proliferate at an exponential rate.

From Nature • Apr. 2, 2014

The embryonic cells that develop from totipotent stem cells and are precursors to the fundamental tissue layers of the embryo are classified as pluripotent.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

For more on this totipotent term see "The Meaning of Hack".

From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Steele, Guy L.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023