unicellular

[ yoo-nuh-sel-yuh-ler ]

/ ˌyu nəˈsɛl yə lər /

adjective

having or consisting of a single cell.

Nearby words

unibrow, unicameral, unicameral bone cyst, unicameral cyst, unicef, unicellular, unicellular gland, unicellulate, unicode, unicolor, unicolour

Origin of unicellular

First recorded in 1855–60; uni- + cellular

Related forms

u·ni·cel·lu·lar·i·ty, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unicellular

The epidermis is sparingly covered with unicellular hairs, some of which are curiously branched, being irregularly star-shaped.
Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany|Douglas Houghton Campbell
Bacteria may be defined as very minute, unicellular organisms of a plantlike character.
Special Report on Diseases of Cattle|U.S. Department of Agriculture
She looked still at the unicellular shadow that lay within the field of light, under her microscope.
The Rainbow|D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence
Weismann deduces from this a radical distinction between the unicellular and the multicellular organisms.
The Wonders of Life|Ernst Haeckel

Among some of the lowest forms of unicellular organisms it is not known, but in most others some form of such union is universal.
The Story of the Living Machine|H. W. Conn

British Dictionary definitions for unicellular

unicellular

/ (ˌjuːnɪˈsɛljʊlə) /

adjective

(of organisms, such as protozoans and certain algae) consisting of a single cell

Derived Forms

unicellularity, 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

Medicine definitions for unicellular

unicellular

[ yōō′nĭ-sĕl′yə-lər ]

adj.

Having or consisting of a single cell, as the protozoans; one-celled.

Related forms

u′ni•cel′lu•lar′i•ty (-lăr′ĭ-tē) n.

Science definitions for unicellular

unicellular

[ yōō′nĭ-sĕl′yə-lər ]

Having or consisting of a single cell. Compare multicellular.