Meaning & use
cell wall
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Meaning
nouncountabletechnicalbiology
The strong outer covering of a plant, fungal, or bacterial cell that gives it shape and protection.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'a' or 'the' when referring to a specific cell.
Patterns
- have a cell wall
- the cell wall of something
- cell wall synthesis
Plant cells have a rigid cell wall made mainly of cellulose.
The antibiotic works by preventing bacteria from building a proper cell wall.
Unlike animal cells, fungal cells are surrounded by a cell wall.
Word forms
| plural | cell walls |
|---|
Common combinations
- plant cell wall
- The plant cell wall is composed largely of cellulose.
- bacterial cell wall
- Penicillin interferes with the bacterial cell wall.
- cell wall synthesis
- Many antibiotics target cell wall synthesis.
- rigid cell wall
- A rigid cell wall helps the plant stand upright.
Word family
- cell membrane noun
- The thin, flexible layer just inside the cell wall that controls what enters and leaves the cell.
- cellulose noun
- The main substance that makes up plant cell walls.
Commonly confused: cell wall or cell membrane?
cell wall vs cell membrane
The cell membrane is a thin, flexible barrier found in all cells; the cell wall is a thicker, rigid layer outside the membrane in plants, fungi, and bacteria.
Practice
Which of the following types of cells does NOT have a cell wall?
Choose one answer.
Animal cells lack a cell wall; they only have a cell membrane. Plant, fungal, and bacterial cells all have a cell wall.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cell wall”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.