archaeocyte

noun

ar·​chaeo·​cyte

variants or less commonly archeocyte

ˈ⸗⸗⸗ or ⸗ˈ⸗⸗ at archae- + ˌsīt

plural -s

: an indifferent commonly amoeboid interstitial cell

specifically : any of certain amoebocytes of sponges that have large nuclei and blunt pseudopods, are believed to be persistent undifferentiated embryonic cells, and develop into the sex cells

Word History

Etymology

archae- + -cyte

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