mitochondrion

noun

mi·​to·​chon·​dri·​on ˌmī-tə-ˈkän-drē-ən How to pronounce mitochondrion (audio)
plural mitochondria ˌmī-tə-ˈkän-drē-ə How to pronounce mitochondrion (audio)
: any of various round or long cellular organelles of most eukaryotes that are found outside the nucleus, produce energy for the cell through cellular respiration, and are rich in fats, proteins, and enzymes see cell illustration
mitochondrial
ˌmī-tə-ˈkän-drē-əl How to pronounce mitochondrion (audio)
adjective

Examples of mitochondrion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These are the mitochondrion, where a former bacteria now handles the task of converting chemical energy into useful forms, and the chloroplast, where photosynthesis happens. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 11 Apr. 2024 Similar systems are used by mitochondria and chloroplasts. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 11 Apr. 2024 The mitochondrion is a pretty little thing under the microscope, a neat lozenge containing a labyrinth of membranes. —Quanta Magazine, 6 Mar. 2024 That includes discovering that the mitochondrion had its own DNA. —Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 9 Aug. 2023 See all Example Sentences for mitochondrion 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German (in plural Mitochondria), from Greek mítos "length of thread, cord used to separate warp threads" (of uncertain origin) + -o- -o- + chóndrion "granule," diminutive of chóndros "grain, groats" — more at chondro-

Note: Term introduced by the German microbiologist Carl Benda (1857-1932) in "Ueber die Spermatogenese der Vertebraten und höherer Evertebraten: II. Theil: Die Histiogenese der Spermien" [XVII. Sitzung am 29. Juli 1898], Archiv für Anatomie und Physiologie - Physiologische Abtheilung, Jahrgang 1898, p. 397: "Sie liegen innerhalb eines Theiles der Protoplasmafäden, bisweilen zu besonderen Körpern gehäuft, und sind wenigsten mit einem Theil der bereits bekannten Zellmikrosomen identisch, aber unterschieden von den Altmann'schen und Ehrlich'schen Granulationen. Ich möchte vorläufig vorschlagen, ihnen als Mitochondria eine besondere Stellung vorzubehalten, die ich in weiteren Arbeiten begründen werde." ("They lie within of a portion of the protoplasmic threads, sometimes aggregated to particular bodies, and are identical to at least part of the already known cell microsomes, but differ from Altmann's and Ehrlich's granulations. I would like to suggest tentatively reserving for them a special status as mitochondria, which I will substantiate in further work.")

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mitochondrion was in 1901

Dictionary Entries Near mitochondrion

mitochondriome

mitochondrion

mitoclasic

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Mitochondrion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mitochondrion. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

mitochondrion

noun
mi·​to·​chon·​dri·​on ˌmīt-ə-ˈkän-drē-ən How to pronounce mitochondrion (audio)
plural mitochondria -drē-ə How to pronounce mitochondrion (audio)
: one of the round or long bodies found in the cytoplasm of cells outside the nucleus that are rich in fats, proteins, and enzymes and are important centers of metabolic processes which use oxygen and produce energy

Medical Definition

mitochondrion

noun
mi·​to·​chon·​dri·​on ˌmīt-ə-ˈkän-drē-ən How to pronounce mitochondrion (audio)
plural mitochondria -drē-ə How to pronounce mitochondrion (audio)
: any of various round or long cellular organelles of most eukaryotes that are found outside the nucleus, produce energy for the cell through cellular respiration, and are rich in fats, proteins, and enzymes

called also chondriosome

mitochondrial
-drē-əl How to pronounce mitochondrion (audio)
adjective
mitochondrially
-ē How to pronounce mitochondrion (audio)
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on mitochondrion

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mitochondrion

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