cellularization
|cel-lu-lar-i-za-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌsɛl.jʊ.ləˈraɪ.zeɪ.ʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌsɛl.jʊ.ləˈraɪ.zeɪ.ʃ(ə)n/
forming cells
Etymology
'cellularization' originates from English, specifically from the verb 'cellularize' plus the suffix '-ation', where 'cellularize' in turn derives from 'cellular', ultimately from Latin 'cellula' meaning 'little cell'.
'cellula' in Latin evolved into Medieval Latin and later English borrowings such as 'cell' and 'cellular', then the verb-forming suffix '-ize' produced 'cellularize', and finally the noun-forming suffix '-ation' created 'cellularization' in modern English.
Initially related to small rooms or compartments ('cellula' meaning 'little cell'), the term's use shifted toward biological 'cells' and later to denote the process of forming cells; today it primarily means 'the process of forming cells'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
(biology) The process during development in which a syncytial tissue or mass becomes divided into individual cells; formation of a cellular blastoderm from a syncytial blastoderm.
Cellularization in Drosophila occurs after the thirteenth nuclear division.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
the general process of forming or dividing into distinct cells or compartments, used in contexts such as tissue engineering or material science.
The scaffold's cellularization improved vascular ingrowth in the engineered tissue.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/16 23:08