1 nucleolar | Definition of nucleolar
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nucleolus

noun
nu·​cle·​o·​lus | \ nü-ˈklÄ“-É™-lÉ™s How to pronounce nucleolus (audio) , nyü-\
plural nucleoli\ nü-​ˈklÄ“-​É™-​ËŒlÄ« How to pronounce nucleoli (audio) , nyü-​ \

Definition of nucleolus

: a spherical body of the nucleus of most eukaryotes that becomes enlarged during protein synthesis, is associated with a nucleolus organizer, and contains the DNA templates for ribosomal RNA — see cell illustration
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Other Words from nucleolus

nucleolar \ nü-​ˈklÄ“-​É™-​lÉ™r How to pronounce nucleolar (audio) , nyü-​ \ adjective

Examples of nucleolus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 More membraneless structures continued to be found, such as the nucleolus, a dense structure in the cell nucleus. — Quanta Magazine, "‘Lava-Lamp’ Proteins May Help Cells Cheat Death," 26 Nov. 2018 But there’s more to the nucleolus than just making ribosomes. — Joanna Klein, New York Times, "The Thing Inside Your Cells That Might Determine How Long You Live," 20 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nucleolus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of nucleolus

1839, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for nucleolus

New Latin, from Latin, diminutive of nucleus

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More Definitions for nucleolus

nucleolus

noun
nu·​cle·​o·​lus | \ n(y)ü-ˈklÄ“-É™-lÉ™s How to pronounce nucleolus (audio) \
plural nucleoli\ -​ËŒlÄ« How to pronounce nucleoli (audio) \

Medical Definition of nucleolus

: a spherical body of the nucleus of most eukaryotes that becomes enlarged during protein synthesis, is associated with a nucleolus organizer, and contains the DNA templates for ribosomal RNA

— called also plasmosome

More from Merriam-Webster on nucleolus

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about nucleolus

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