cell wall
Americannoun
noun
-
The outermost layer of cells in plants, bacteria, fungi, and many algae that gives shape to the cell and protects it from infection. In plants, the cell wall is made up mostly of cellulose, determines tissue texture, and often is crucial to cell function.
-
Compare cell membrane
Discover More
It is the cell walls that give plant stems and wood their stiffness.
Etymology
Origin of cell wall
First recorded in 1840–50
Compare meaning
How does cell-wall compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Just as it breaks down plant cells, ultrasound can disrupt the cell walls of microorganisms such as bacteria that may spoil the product.
From Science Daily
Scientists have revealed how viruses that infect bacteria shut down MurJ, a protein essential for building the bacterial cell wall.
From Science Daily
Removing the chitin synthase gene resulted in a thinner cell wall, which made the internal protein more accessible for digestion.
From Science Daily
Radiation might knock out a piece of the cell’s DNA, change the structure of the cell wall, or alter the thickness of the fluid in the cell.
From Literature
Endotoxins are fragments of bacterial cell walls that are released when bacteria die.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
