micronuclei
|mi-cro-nu-clei|
🇺🇸
/ˌmaɪ.kroʊˈnuː.klaɪ/
🇬🇧
/ˌmaɪ.krəʊˈnjuː.klaɪ/
(micronucleus)
tiny additional nucleus
Etymology
'micronucleus' originates from New Latin/Neo-Latin, specifically from the prefix 'micro-' (from Greek 'mikros') and 'nucleus' (from Latin 'nucleus'), where 'mikros' meant 'small' and 'nucleus' meant 'kernel' or 'core'.
'micronucleus' was coined in scientific Neo-Latin/English as a compound of 'micro-' + 'nucleus' in modern scientific usage (late 19th to early 20th century) and entered English with the same form; the plural 'micronuclei' follows classical pluralization.
Initially it meant 'a small nucleus' and over time it became a specialized cytological term referring specifically to extranuclear, nucleus-like bodies indicating chromosomal damage or missegregation.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
small, nucleus-like bodies that form in the cytoplasm of a cell separate from the main nucleus, typically as a result of chromosomal fragments or whole chromosomes not incorporated into daughter nuclei during cell division; used as a biomarker of chromosomal damage or genomic instability.
Micronuclei were detected in the lymphocytes of workers exposed to radiation.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/09 11:30