motile
Biology. moving or capable of moving spontaneously: motile cells; motile spores.
Origin of motile
1Other words from motile
- mo·til·i·ty [moh-til-i-tee], /moʊˈtɪl ɪ ti/, noun
- non·mo·tile, adjective
- un·mo·tile, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use motile in a sentence
These bacilli (Fig. 89) are large (5 to 10 long), non-motile, and usually arranged end to end in chains.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddCocci exhibit this movement, but with the exception of the Micrococcus agilis, the cocci are non-motile.
The Elements of Bacteriological Technique | John William Henry EyreLike long rows of hyphens, slender cylindric, non-motile chains joined end to end.
The Social Gangster | Arthur B. ReeveThe latter ultimately divides in the apex of the pollen-tube into two non-motile generative cells.
These simple plants may be seen as actively moving cells or as non-motile cells.
British Dictionary definitions for motile
/ (ˈməʊtaɪl) /
capable of moving spontaneously and independently
psychol a person whose mental imagery strongly reflects movement, esp his own
Origin of motile
1Derived forms of motile
- motility (məʊˈtɪlɪtɪ), noun
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
Scientific definitions for motile
[ mōt′l, mō′tīl′ ]
Moving or able to move by itself. Sperm and certain spores are motile.
Other words from motile
- motility noun (mō-tĭl′ĭ-tē)
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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