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

The actress underwent extensive treatment for her MS, including a risky two-month hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) that involved an aggressive course of chemotherapy. —Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 11 Feb. 2025

Attempts began in the late nineties, following the isolation of human embryonic stem cells. —Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025

And then there’s regenerative medicine, therapies that aim to restore the form and function of diseased or aging organs using stem cells or other methods. —Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025

The researchers also confirmed that abundant lipid droplets form in human cartilage cells grown in the lab from embryonic stem cells. —New Atlas, 30 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