apoptosis

1 definition found

apoptosis - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  apoptosis
      n 1: a type of cell death in which the cell uses specialized
           cellular machinery to kill itself; a cell suicide mechanism
           that enables metazoans to control cell number and eliminate
           cells that threaten the animal's survival [syn:
           apoptosis, programmed cell death, caspase-mediated cell death
           ]