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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.
  1. a sporelike cell with a resistant, protective wall.
  2. a cell or cavity enclosing reproductive bodies.
Zoology.
  1. a sac, usually spherical, surrounding an animal that has passed into a dormant condition.
  2. such a sac plus the contained animal.
  3. a capsule or resistant covering.
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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

1705–15; <New Latin cystis<Greek kýstis bag, pouch, the bladder; akin to kŷmacyma

Other definitions for cyst (2 of 3)

cyst-

variant of cysto-, before a vowel: cystectomy.

Other definitions for cyst (3 of 3)

-cyst

variant of cysto-, as final element in a compound word: statocyst.
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.
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