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.

---

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

---

cytology Scientific  

/ sī-tŏl′ə-jē /

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

---

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of cytology

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

Example Sentences

Northern Ireland is behind the rest of the UK in how it has been screening for cervical cancer as it uses an old model called cytology screening instead of the gold standard HPV screening.

From BBC • Sep. 13, 2023

The latest scientific evidence shows that screening for HPV is better than screening for abnormal cytology with a smear test.

From BBC • Sep. 13, 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 contributions of cytology continued in the early twentieth century with the work of Walter Sutton.

From Nature • Apr. 15, 2019

Lamarck died before the rise of the sciences of morphology, embryology, and cytology.

From Lamarck, the Founder of Evolution His Life and Work by Packard, A. S. (Alpheus Spring)