: a gamete (such as an egg or sperm cell) or one of its antecedent cells
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebDolly was the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult somatic cell, which is any type of bodily cell that is not a reproductive germ cell. Bill Frist, Forbes, 2 Aug. 2022 But that July, tragedy struck when he was diagnosed with a germ cell tumor. Greg Hanlon, PEOPLE.com, 2 Feb. 2022 Gantz and his thesis adviser, Ethan Bier, a professor of cell and developmental biology at U.C. San Diego, decided to try putting the Crispr editing machinery into a germ cell, along with the gene it was originally tied to. Jennifer Kahn, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2020 The exception is if the altered DNA is put into a germ cell: the cells that turn into sperm and eggs. Jennifer Kahn, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2020 He was re-diagnosed with another germ cell tumor after visiting the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, a description on the page read. Gabrielle Chung, PEOPLE.com, 7 Jan. 2020 This happens under conditions in which both genes have an equal chance (50 percent) of going into the germ cells, as is true for the vast majority of genes — this is like the twins’ both getting half of the cake.Quanta Magazine, 9 Nov. 2017 Infections, toxins or just old age can affect germ cells and produce offspring that are less healthy in various ways.Quanta Magazine, 11 May 2017 Any mutations occurring in the dividing cells of a stem will be locked into the germ cells and can pass on to the next generation. Elizabeth Pennisi, Science | AAAS, 29 Aug. 2019 See More
Word History
First Known Use
1868, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
germ cell
noun
: a cell (as an egg or sperm cell) that contributes to the formation of a new individual
Medical Definition
germ cell
noun
: an egg or sperm cell or one of their antecedent cells