somatic cell

American  

noun

Cell Biology.

1. one of the cells that take part in the formation of the body, becoming differentiated into the various tissues, organs, etc.

2. any cell other than a germ cell.

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somatic cell British  

noun

1. any of the cells of a plant or animal except the reproductive cells Compare germ cell

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Etymology

Origin of somatic cell

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Prenatal genome editing is, in theory, somatic cell editing.

From Salon • Aug. 17, 2024

Unlike somatic cell division, which duplicates and divides the genome identically, meiosis creates genetically diverse reproductive cells through a mechanism known as crossover.

From Science Daily • Mar. 8, 2024

Reproductive cloning of animals uses a process called somatic cell nuclear transfer.

From Reuters • May 25, 2023

A typical body cell, or somatic cell, contains two matched sets of chromosomes, a configuration known as diploid.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

The germ-plasm contains representatives of the whole army; a somatic cell only representatives of one special arm of a special training.

From The Whence and the Whither of Man A Brief History of His Origin and Development through Conformity to Environment; Being the Morse Lectures of 1895 by Tyler, John Mason