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enucleate

[ verb ih-noo-klee-eyt, ih-nyoo-; adjective ih-noo-klee-it, -eyt, ih-nyoo- ]
/ verb ɪˈnu kliˌeɪt, ɪˈnyu-; adjective ɪˈnu kli ɪt, -ˌeɪt, ɪˈnyu- /
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See synonyms for: enucleate / enucleation on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), e·nu·cle·at·ed, e·nu·cle·at·ing.
Biology. to deprive of the nucleus.
to remove (a kernel, tumor, eyeball, etc.) from its enveloping cover.
Archaic. to bring out; disclose; explain.
adjective
having no nucleus.
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Origin of enucleate

1540–50; <Latin ēnucleātus (past participle of ēnucleāre to remove the pit from (fruit)), equivalent to ē-e-1 + nucle(us) nucleus + -ātus-ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM enucleate

e·nu·cle·a·tion, noun

Words nearby enucleate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use enucleate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for enucleate

enucleate

verb (ɪˈnjuːklɪˌeɪt) (tr)
biology to remove the nucleus from (a cell)
surgery to remove (a tumour or other structure) from its capsule without rupturing it
archaic to explain or disclose
adjective (ɪˈnjuːklɪɪt, -ˌeɪt)
(of cells) deprived of their nuclei

Derived forms of enucleate

enucleation, noun

Word Origin for enucleate

C16: from Latin ēnūcleāre to remove the kernel, from nūcleus kernel
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

Medical definitions for enucleate

enucleate
[ ĭ-nōōklē-āt′ ]

v.
To remove something, such as a tumor or an eye, whole and without rupture from an enveloping cover or sac.
To remove the nucleus of a cell.
adj.
Lacking a nucleus.

Other words from enucleate

e•nu′cle•ation n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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