NUCLEUS


Meaning of NUCLEUS in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈnü-klē-əs, ˈnyü- ]

noun

( plural nu·clei -klē-ˌī ; also nu·cle·us·es )

Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, kernel, from nuc-, nux nut — more at nut

Date: 1704

1.

a. : the small bright body in the head of a comet

b. : the small brighter and denser portion of a galaxy

2. : a central point, group, or mass about which gathering, concentration, or accretion takes place: as

a. : a cellular organelle of eukaryotes that is essential to cell functions (as reproduction and protein synthesis), is composed of nucleoplasm and a nucleoprotein-rich network from which chromosomes and nucleoli arise, and is enclosed in a definite membrane — see cell illustration

b. : a mass of gray matter or group of cell bodies of neurons in the central nervous system

c. : a characteristic and stable complex of atoms or groups in a molecule ; especially : ring

the naphthalene nucleus

d. : the positively charged central portion of an atom that comprises nearly all of the atomic mass and that consists of protons and usually neutrons

3. : the peak of sonority in the utterance of a syllable

4. : a basic or essential part : core

players who are the nucleus of the team

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.