n.1 a small room, esp. in a prison or monastery.
2 a small compartment, e.g. in a honeycomb.
3 a small group as a nucleus of political activity, esp. of a subversive kind.
4 hist. a small monastery or nunnery dependent on a larger one.
5 Biol. a the structural and functional usu. microscopic unit of an organism, consisting of cytoplasm and a nucleus enclosed in a membrane. b an enclosed cavity in an organism etc.
6 Electr. a vessel for containing electrodes within an electrolyte for current-generation or electrolysis.
Derivatives:
celled adj. (also in comb.).
Etymology: ME f. OF celle or f. L cella storeroom etc.