CELL WALL Definition & Meaning

cell wall

[ sel wawl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Biology.

the definite boundary or wall that is part of the outer structure of certain cells, as a plant cell.

cell wall

noun

the outer layer of a cell, esp the structure in plant cells that consists of cellulose, lignin, etc, and gives mechanical support to the cell

cell wall

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

cell wall

The rigid outer covering of a typical plant cell , composed mainly of cellulose and lying outside the cell membrane . Animal cells do not have cell walls.

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Notes

It is the cell walls that give plant stems and wood their stiffness.

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of cell wall¹

First recorded in 1840–50

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Zhoie Perez slouched against the holding cell wall in Men’s Central Jail and closed her eyes, hoping a guard would jolt her awake with the words she’d been waiting for: The bus is here!

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For example, the cell walls of plants provide structural strength and are rich in fiber, while their energy vesicles store carbohydrates.

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Finding scratch marks on a cell wall that he believes he made, he knelt down and began to cry.

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Gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria differ in the composition of their cell walls.

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This new research explored the origin and evolution of the biochemical machinery that builds lignin, a structural component of plant cell walls with significant impacts on the clean energy industry.

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