Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

centrosome

American  
[sen-truh-sohm] / ˈsɛn trəˌsoʊm /

noun

Cell Biology.
  1. a small region near the nucleus in the cell cytoplasm, containing the centrioles.


centrosome British  
/ ˌsɛntrəˈsɒmɪk, ˈsɛntrəˌsəʊm /

noun

  1. Also called: centrosphere.  a small body in a cell where microtubules are produced. In animal cells it surrounds the centriole

"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

centrosome Scientific  
/ sĕntrə-sōm′ /
  1. A specialized region of the cytoplasm that is located next to the nucleus of a cell and contains the centrioles. The cells of most eukaryotes except plants have centrosomes.


Other Word Forms

  • centrosomic adjective

Etymology

Origin of centrosome

First recorded in 1895–1900; centro- + -some 3

Compare meaning

How does centrosome compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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.

But in neurons -- which don't divide -- the stimulated centrosomes participated in cycles of DNA repair that appeared to organize individual neurons into memory assemblies.

From Science Daily

Asymmetric centrosome inheritance maintains neural progenitors in the neocortex.

From Nature

When Hh signaling is disrupted, centrosome polarization to the immunological synapse is reduced, and cytotoxic T cell–mediated killing is impaired.

From Science Magazine

Examples of excessive instability resulting in cell lethality can be observed in the context of mitotic checkpoint dysfunction or multipolar anaphases in cells with extra centrosomes.

From Nature

At the end, we were able to see an entire centrosome in a miotic HeLa cell.

From Scientific American