totipotency
[ tō-tĭp′ə-tən-sē, tō′tĭ-pōt′n-sē ]
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n.
The ability of a cell, such as an egg, to give rise to unlike cells and to develop into or generate a new organism or part.
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Other words from totipotency
to•tip′o•tent adj.Words nearby totipotency
toti-, totidem verbis, toting, totipalmate, totipalmation, totipotency, totipotent, totis viribus, Totleben, toto caelo, Totowa
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cultural definitions for totipotency
totipotency
The ability of cells such as an embryonic stem cell to differentiate into any type of body cell. Plant cells are also totipotent, which helps to explain why a graft of a plant can generate a whole new individual out of just a small branch cutting.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.