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mononuclear

Upper-Intermediate (B2)

IPA: /ˌmɒnəˈnjuːklɪə/

KK: /mɑnəˈnuklɪr/

adjective
Definition

Referring to a type of cell that contains only one nucleus.


Example

A mononuclear cell is essential for the immune response.


Conversation
Sloth A
I was reading about cells in biology class today.
Sloth B
Oh really? What did you learn?
Sloth A
We talked about mononuclear cells and how they function.
Sloth B
That's interesting! I didn't know there were different types of cells.

Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
unicellular
single-nucleated
monocellular
Antonyms
multinuclear
polynucleated
binucleate
Root Explanation

Mononuclear → It is formed from "mono-" (meaning one) and "nucleus" (from Latin "nucleus", meaning kernel or core). The word "mononuclear" refers to a cell or organism that has a single nucleus.

Memory Tip

Think of 'mono-' meaning one, and 'nucleus' meaning core — so mononuclear describes something with one core.

Visually Confused Words
homonuclear
endonuclear
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