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

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

At present, all samples tested in the new system for HPV and found to be negative go on for cytology screening.

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 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

A. Phycomycetes.—Most of the recent work of importance in this group deals with the cytology of sexual reproduction and of spore-formation, and the effect of external conditions on the production of reproductive organs.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various