acellularadj.
/(ˌ)eɪˈsɛljᵿlə/, U.S. /eɪˈsɛljələr/ Biology and Medicine.
1. Containing few or no cells.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > substance > cell > [adjective] > having no cells
acellular1857
1857 E. Lankester tr. G. F. Küchenmeister On Animal & Veg. Parasites Human Body I. 364 Without the application of water, large acellular, albuminous drops are found in them. [No equivalent to the Engl. adjective is used in the Ger. original.]
1914 D. M. Kaplin Serol. Nerv. & Mental Dis. iii. 159 An acellular spinal fluid is rarely encountered.
1954 A. H. T. Robb-Smith in H. W. Florey Lect. Gen. Pathol. xxx. 562 Embryonic mesenchyma, although rich in mucopolysaccharides, is relatively acellular.
1987 New Scientist 26 Feb. 43/3 The way to do this is by separating from the bacterial cells those components that stimulate the immune response... Such vaccines are called ‘acellular vaccines’.
2002 P. Herring Biol. Deep Ocean ix. 190 A thick layer of acellular watery material of uniform refractive index (the mesogloea in jellyfish) separates the very thin cellular layers.
2. Of an organism: not composed of more than one cell (= unicellular adj. 1); not divided into cells; syncytial.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > organism > organisms by number or kind of cells > [adjective]
monocellular1854
multicellular1857
unicellular1858
monoplastic1877
unicelled1877
multicelled1884
acellular1886
monoplastid1889
tricellular1891
single-celled1899
mixed-celled1908
microcellular1909
the world > life > biology > substance > cell > cell organelle or contents > [adjective] > having nucleus > structure containing several
acellular1886
cœnocytic1900
1886 Queries Jan. 17/1 What are acellular organisms?
1940 L. H. Hyman Invertebrates I. iii. 44 We prefer to refer to the Protozoa as acellular, rather than as unicellular animals, that is, animals whose body substance is not partitioned into cells.
1960 Nature 12 Mar. 780/1 (heading) A mating-type system in an acellular slime-mould.
2005 J. A. Raven in K. J. Oparka Plasmodesmata ii. 46 At the other extreme..are the algae which have very significant differentiation of the thallus yet have no separation of the thallus into a multicellular structure, i.e. are acellular.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2011; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.1857