mitochondria
Americanplural noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of mitochondria
First recorded in 1900–05; from German Mitochondrion (singular), equivalent to Greek míto(s) “thread” + chóndr(os) “grain, seed, cartilage” + -ia plural of diminutive suffix -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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Sometimes mitochondria fuse together into large interconnected networks that generate energy efficiently.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 3, 2026
Scientists have suspected a link between B12 and mitochondrial function for many years, because one of the two B12-dependent enzymes works inside mitochondria.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026
IL-6 also inhibits mitochondria, the parts of a cell that generate energy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
By remaining connected, mitochondria can balance resources and replace damaged parts more effectively.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026
The mitochondria are the “powerhouses” in which most of the energy-producing reactions occur.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
A mitochondrion is a small structure inside the cell that helps generate the energy required for normal function.
From Science Daily ● May 16, 2026
When the mitochondrion returns to its normal tubular shape, the nucleoids remain separated, preserving their even distribution.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 13, 2026
Mitochondrial DNA is passed down from mother to child and can be found in hundreds of copies within each mitochondrion, which make it easier to recover and analyze.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 25, 2023
The fat cells from the older, sedentary men showed relatively poor mitochondrial health, with fewer mitochondria than in the young men’s fat and less energy produced by each mitochondrion.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 12, 2022
The cells in a drop of blood contain a different sort of molecular factory, the mitochondrion, which combines food with oxygen to extract useful energy.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
