cell wall

noun

: the usually rigid nonliving permeable wall that surrounds the plasma membrane and encloses and supports the cells of most plants, bacteria, fungi, and algae see cell illustration

Examples of cell wall in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In 2002, scientists isolated a strain of MRSA that had become resistant to vancomycin, the drug of choice for MRSA infections, by modifying part of its cell wall so that the drug could no longer latch on. —Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024

To confirm that these structures help comb jellies live at crushing depths, the researchers created E. coli bacteria that made their cell walls with the plasmalogens found in deep-sea comb jellies. —Rudy Molinek, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 July 2024

The chitosan that Dyson is using is found in the cell walls of mushrooms, and helps to give the fungi their shape. —Samantha Conti, WWD, 15 Aug. 2024

Small ice crystals produce less cell wall rupture than slow freezing, which produces only a few large ice crystals. —Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 6 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

cell wall

noun

: the firm nonliving layer that encloses and supports the cells of most plants, bacteria, fungi, and algae

Medical Definition

cell wall

noun

: the usually rigid nonliving permeable wall that surrounds the plasma membrane and encloses and supports the cells of most plants, bacteria, fungi, and algae