mitochondrial
Americanadjective
Explanation
Anything mitochondrial has to do with the tiny energy-producing organelles in a cell. Mitochondrial diseases result in damage to cells when they can't generate enough energy. Mitochondrial comes from mitochondria, those billions and billions of minuscule parts of a cell that act as its battery, generating energy to keep it functioning. A German microbiologist coined the word from Greek roots mitos, "thread," and khondrion, "little granule." Mitochondrial DNA is the specific genetic material within mitochondria; and mitochondrial therapies can involve replacing parts of a person's mitochondria in order to treat or prevent certain diseases.
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.
When phosphatidylcholine levels were increased in older C. elegans, mitochondrial networks became more stable and energy production improved.
From Science Daily • Jun. 11, 2026
Perhaps the most significant finding was that some age-related mitochondrial changes appeared reversible.
From Science Daily • Jun. 11, 2026
Although mitochondrial performance is known to decline with age, the reasons behind this gradual deterioration have remained unclear.
From Science Daily • Jun. 11, 2026
The Y chromosomes in the Belgian remains were all characteristic of hunter-gatherers, but three-quarters of the mitochondrial DNA lineages had come from Neolithic farmers living further south.
From Science Daily • May 30, 2026
His six-person team contacted 173 people from a small village in what had been Botocudo country, explained what they were doing, obtained blood samples and extracted and examined the mitochondrial DNA.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
