di-nucleate
|di-nu-cle-ate|
🇺🇸
/ˌdaɪˈnuːkliːət/
🇬🇧
/ˌdaɪˈnjuːkliːət/
(dinucleate)
two nuclei
Etymology
'dinucleate' originates from New Latin, specifically from the combining elements 'di-' (from Greek 'di-' meaning 'two') + Latin 'nucleus' (from Latin 'nux, nucis' meaning 'nut' or 'kernel').
'dinucleate' was formed in scientific Neo-Latin usage by combining the Greek prefix 'di-' and the Latin noun 'nucleus', and entered English as a technical biological term (often seen as 'di-nucleate' or 'dinucleate') in modern scientific literature from the 19th–20th centuries.
Initially it referred generally to 'having two kernels/cores' in a literal sense; over time it narrowed to the biological meaning 'having two cell nuclei'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
to become or cause to become dinucleate; to possess or give two nuclei (rare, chiefly scientific usage).
During this developmental stage the cell dinucleated, forming two distinct nuclei.
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Adjective 1
having two nuclei; binucleate (used chiefly in biology to describe cells or organisms with two nuclei).
Dinucleate cells are common in certain protozoa and some stages of fungal development.
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Last updated: 2025/12/01 23:01