cell theory

American  

noun

1. a basic tenet of modern biology, first stated by Matthias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann in 1838–39, that cells are the basic units of structure and function in living organisms.

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Example Sentences

Mukherjee recounts the beginnings of cell theory among 19th-century European scientists and the growing consensus that the cell is the fundamental unit of life in plants and animals.

From Washington Post

For instance, zoologist Theodor Schwann’s exposure to German Romantic philosophies of universality probably inspired him to extend cell theory from plants to animals.

From Nature

Just as the proliferation of cell theory powered extraordinary advances in biology, it is clear that single-cell analysis will open new vistas for scientists to explore.

From Nature

When you tie it together with cell theory, both ideas are compellingly fortified.

From Scientific American

That discovery led to others, which led to the creation of cell theory, the notion that all living things are made of cells, and that new cells are made when old cells divide.

From Scientific American