Standard Lemma guide

centrosome

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • UK: /ˈsɛntɹəˌsəʊm/
  • US: /ˈsentɹoʊˌsoʊm/
  • US: /ˈsentɹoʊˌzoʊm/

1

noun

Meaning 1

An organelle, near the nucleus in the cytoplasm of animals (metazoans), that controls the organization of its microtubules.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, cytology, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cytocenter, cytocentrum

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

small region of cytoplasm adjacent to the nucleus; contains the centrioles and serves to organize the microtubules

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: central body

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cytoplasm, cytol

History

Etymology

From centro- + -some.

Across languages

Translations

11 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: центрозо́ма (centrozóma) — organelle that controls the organization of its microtubules
  • Catalan: centrosoma — organelle that controls the organization of its microtubules
  • Chinese Mandarin: 中心體 /中心体 (zhōngxīntǐ) — organelle that controls the organization of its microtubules
  • French: centrosome — organelle that controls the organization of its microtubules
  • German: Zentrosom — organelle that controls the organization of its microtubules
  • Hungarian: centroszóma — organelle that controls the organization of its microtubules
  • Hungarian: sejtközpont — organelle that controls the organization of its microtubules
  • Italian: centrosoma — organelle that controls the organization of its microtubules
  • Spanish: centrosoma — organelle that controls the organization of its microtubules
  • Tagalog: gitlawas — organelle that controls the organization of its microtubules
  • Turkish: sentrozom — organelle that controls the organization of its microtubules