I. ˈsist noun
( -s )
Etymology: New Latin cystis, from Greek kystis bladder, pouch; akin to Greek kysthos vulva — more at hoard
1. : a sac lacking an opening but having a distinct membrane and developing abnormally in a natural cavity of the body, in the substance of an organ, or in an abnormal structure (as a tumor)
2.
a. : a resting spore formed in many algae (as blue-green algae and desmids) by the breaking up of portions of the filaments or by the enclosing of a cell or cell group and their investment by a sheath or envelope — compare statospore
b. : an air vesicle in certain algae (as the common rockweed)
c. : a structure comparable to a spore formed by certain slime molds
d.
(1) : a capsule or round sheath formed about certain cells (as some bacteria) when going into a resting stage or becoming transformed into spores
(2) : the whole structure including the contents of the capsule
3. : a sac or capsule produced by an animal: as
a. : one that many protozoans and other minute animals secrete about themselves as a prelude to a resting or a specialized reproductive phase
b. : a resistant covering about a parasite produced by the parasite, the host, or by interaction of both
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: alteration (probably influenced by cyst ) (I) of cist (I)
: cist