stem cell

noun

: an unspecialized cell that gives rise to differentiated cells

hematopoietic stem cells in bone marrow

Examples of stem cell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Established in 2018, luxury skincare brand Augustinus Bader draws on over 30 years of research led by stem cell scientist and doctor of regenerative medicine, Professor Augustinus Bader. —Felicity Carter, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025

The trick is controlling what kind and how many of the right kind of offspring can be coached from a stem cell parent. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 24 Jan. 2025

That started to change around 2008 or so, says stem cell biologist Siddhartha Jaiswal of Stanford University in California. —Amber Dance, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Jan. 2025

The only stem cell products the FDA has approved for use are stem cells extracted from umbilical cord blood, and then only for rare blood disorders. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

stem cell

noun

: a simple cell that can become a cell (as a blood cell or skin cell) with a special function

Medical Definition

stem cell

noun

ˈstem- 

: an unspecialized cell capable of perpetuating itself through cell division and having the potential to give rise to differentiated cells with specialized functions

Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent cells derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst stage of the embryo.

—Carrie J. Merkle, in Essentials of Pathophysiology

… picture the bone marrow as a blood cell factory that takes a single type of precursor cell, or stem cell, and modifies it in various ways to produce all the cells that circulate in the blood.

—Gina Kolata, Discover

Recent observations are providing increasing evidence for the concept that adult stem cells are part of a natural system for tissue repair.

—Darwin J. Prockop, in Essentials of Stem Cell Biology