self-renew

intransitive verb

self-re·​new ¦self-ri-¦n(y)ü 

self-renewed; self-renewing; self-renews

: to renew oneself or itself

Stem cells are multipotential cells that have the capacity to proliferate in an undifferentiated state, to self-renew, and to give rise to all the cell types of a particular tissue.

—Steve S. W. Han et al., Journal of the American Medical Association, 3 May 2000

self-renewal

¦self-ri-¦n(y)ü-əl 

noun

plural self-renewals

For a long time it has been assumed that heart muscle cells are incapable of self-renewal.

—Lisa Melton, New Scientist, 25 Sept. 2004

If we are less than bold in addressing these problems—through self-renewal within our community and by pressing the powers-that-be for resources to make a difference—then we risk losing an entire generation.

—Maxine Waters, Elle, May 1993

self-renewing adjective

self-renewing stem cells

American diction constantly crosses over class lines, which is what makes it so refreshingly democratic and self-renewing.

—Güneli Gün, Times Literary Supplement, 12 Mar. 1999

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

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