desmosome

noun

des·​mo·​some ˈdez-mə-ˌsōm 

: a specialized structure of the cell membrane especially of an epithelial cell that serves as a zone of adhesion to anchor contiguous cells together

desmosomal

ˈdez-mə-ˌsō-məl 

adjective

Examples of desmosome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The fruit acid penetrates into the layers of dead skin cells and breaks down the desmosomes which hold the layers together. —Sam Escobar, Good Housekeeping, 27 Apr. 2016

These AHAs eat away and separate what are called desmosomes. —Self, Glamour, 3 July 2017

Desmosomes are the fibers that bind the dead skin cells together. —Self, Glamour, 3 July 2017

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Desmosom, from Greek desmós "something that ties or attaches, (in plural) bonds, chain" + German -o- -o- + -som -some entry 3 — more at desmid

Note: The term was introduced by the Austrian anatomist and histologist Josef R. Schaffer (1861-1939) in Vorlesungen über Histologie und Histogenese nebst Bemerkungen über Histotechnik und das Mikroskop (Leipzig, 1920), p. 76.

First Known Use

circa 1932, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

desmosome

noun

des·​mo·​some ˈdez-mə-ˌsōm 

: a specialized local thickening of the plasma membrane of an epithelial cell that serves to anchor contiguous cells together

desmosomal

-ˌsō-məl 

adjective