Moedercel

Moedercel is a term used in Dutch-language biology to denote the cell that gives rise to subsequent cells during division or development. It corresponds to the English term “mother cell.”

Etymology and usage: The word moedercel combines moeder (mother) and cel (cell). It is primarily found in Dutch textbooks and articles and is not widely used in English-language literature, where the terms “mother cell” or “parent cell” are more common, depending on context.

Contexts: In microbiology, moedercel appears in discussions of sporulation in Bacillus and Clostridium species, where the moedercel engulfs the developing forespore and ultimately lyses to release the mature spore. In yeast and other eukaryotes, the concept describes the progenitor cell that forms a bud or gives rise to a cellular lineage; English literature typically uses “mother cell,” “parent cell,” or specific process terms rather than the Dutch lending.

Notes: The term moedercel is largely regional and specialized. For readers comparing sources across languages, it is helpful to map moedercel to the corresponding English terms to avoid ambiguity.

See also: mother cell, parent cell, daughter cell, sporulation, budding.