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syncytium

[sin-sish-uh m, -ee-uh m]
noun, plural syn·cy·tia [sin-sish-uh, -sish-ee-uh] /sɪnˈsɪʃ ə, -ˈsɪʃ i ə/. Biology.
  1. a multinucleate mass of cytoplasm that is not separated into cells.
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Origin of syncytium

From New Latin, dating back to 1875–80; see origin at syn-, cyto-, -ium
Related formssyn·cy·tial [sin-sish-uh l] /sɪnˈsɪʃ əl/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for syncytial

syncytium

noun plural -cytia (-ˈsɪtɪə)
  1. zoology a mass of cytoplasm containing many nuclei and enclosed in a cell membrane
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Derived Formssyncytial, adjective

Word Origin

C19: New Latin; see syn-, cyto-, -ium
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

Word Origin and History for syncytial

adj.

1895, "pertaining to a syncytium" (1877), Modern Latin, from Greek syn "together" (see syn-) + kytos "receptacle, vessel," used in biology for "cell" (see cyto-).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
syncytial in Medicine

syncytium

(sĭn-sĭsh′ē-əm)
n. pl. syn•cy•ti•a (-sĭsh′ē-ə)
  1. A mass of cytoplasm having many nuclei but no internal cell boundaries.
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Related formssyn•cy′ti•al adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.