cytology

American  

[sahy-tol-uh-jee] / saɪˈtɒl ə dʒi /

noun

1. the study of the microscopic appearance of cells, especially for the diagnosis of abnormalities and malignancies.

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cytology British  

/ saɪˈtɒlədʒɪ, ˌsaɪtəˈlɒdʒɪkəl /

noun

1. the study of plant and animal cells, including their structure, function, and formation

2. the detailed structure of a tissue, as revealed by microscopic examination

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cytology Scientific  

/ sī-tŏl′ə-jē /

1. The scientific study of the formation, structure, and function of cells.

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Other Word Forms

• cytologic adjective
• cytological adjective
• cytologically adverb
• cytologist noun

Etymology

Origin of cytology

First recorded in 1885–90; cyto- + -logy

Example Sentences

This newer HPV test is regarded as a better indicator than cytology of identifying who is a higher risk of developing cervical cancer.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2024

If HPV is detected a cytology test is used to check for any abnormal cells.

From BBC • Oct. 9, 2023

Two years later, he received a master’s degree from Texas Tech in cytology, the study of cells.

From Washington Post • Mar. 18, 2022

The fusion of genetics and cytology came in the 1910s, when Thomas Hunt Morgan and his colleagues mapped the chromosomal locations of fruit-fly mutations.

From Nature • Apr. 15, 2019

With all its mastery of the laws of heredity, of cytology, and of embryology, it cannot tell why a man is a man, and a dog is a dog.

From The Breath of Life by Burroughs, John