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cyst
[ sist ]
/ sɪst /
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noun
Pathology. a closed, bladderlike sac formed in animal tissues, containing fluid or semifluid matter.
a bladder, sac, or vesicle.
Botany, Mycology.
- a sporelike cell with a resistant, protective wall.
- a cell or cavity enclosing reproductive bodies.
Zoology.
- a sac, usually spherical, surrounding an animal that has passed into a dormant condition.
- such a sac plus the contained animal.
- a capsule or resistant covering.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of cyst
Words nearby cyst
Cyril of Alexandria, cyrtosis, cyrtostyle, Cyrus, Cys, cyst, cystathionine, cystectomy, cysteine, cysti-, cystic
Other definitions for cyst (2 of 3)
Other definitions for cyst (3 of 3)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use cyst in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for cyst (1 of 2)
cyst
/ (sɪst) /
noun
pathol any abnormal membranous sac or blisterlike pouch containing fluid or semisolid material
anatomy any normal sac or vesicle in the body
a thick-walled protective membrane enclosing a cell, larva, or organism
Word Origin for cyst
C18: from New Latin cystis, from Greek kustis pouch, bag, bladder
British Dictionary definitions for cyst (2 of 2)
-cyst
n combining form
indicating a bladder or sacotocyst
Word Origin for -cyst
from Greek kustis bladder
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
Scientific definitions for cyst
cyst
[ sĭst ]
An abnormal membranous sac in the body, containing a gaseous, liquid, or semisolid substance.
A small, capsulelike form of certain organisms that develops in response to adverse or extreme conditions. Under adverse conditions, for instance, dinoflagellates form nonmotile resting cysts that fall to the ocean or lake bottom and can remain there for years before reviving. Certain invertebrates, such as the water bear (phylum Tardigrada), also develop cysts.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for cyst
cyst
[ (sist) ]
An abnormal saclike structure that develops in the body and is filled with fluid or semisolid material.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.