nucleus
nuclei; nucleuses
A nucleus is often called the brain, or control center, of a eukaryotic cell (that is, a cell with a nucleus).
The noun nucleus has several senses, though most of them will appear in science. If a biology teacher says nucleus, she is probably talking about a cell (or a group of cells), but a physics teacher would be talking about the center of an atom, or possibly even the center of a comet’s head. Step out of science class, and nucleus likely refers to a core group — like the math fanatics that math club could not function without.
Definitions of nucleus
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a part of the cell containing DNA and RNA and responsible for growth and reproduction
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synonyms:
cell nucleus, karyon
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types:
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pronucleus
the nucleus of the ovum or sperm after fertilization but before they fuse to form the nucleus of the zygote
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subthalamic nucleus
an oval mass of grey matter located in the caudal part of the subthalamus; associated with the striate body
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type of:
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cell organ, cell organelle, organelle
a specialized part of a cell; analogous to an organ
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pronucleus
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the positively charged dense center of an atom
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a small group of indispensable persons or things
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synonyms:
core, core group
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any histologically identifiable mass of neural cell bodies in the brain or spinal cord
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types:
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dentate nucleus
a large laminar nucleus of grey matter within the white matter of each cerebral hemisphere
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type of:
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neural structure
a structure that is part of the nervous system
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dentate nucleus
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the central structure of the lens that is surrounded by the cortex
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synonyms:
lens nucleus
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type of:
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anatomical structure, bodily structure, body structure, complex body part, structure
a particular complex anatomical part of a living thing
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anatomical structure, bodily structure, body structure, complex body part, structure
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(astronomy) the center of the head of a comet; consists of small solid particles of ice and frozen gas that vaporizes on approaching the sun to form the coma and tail
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘nucleus'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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