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Definition

noun

(1) The cell giving rise to daughter cells by cell division.

(2) Progenitor cell: the precursor or source of other cells.

Supplement

In cell division, a brood or mother cell is the cell that divides to give rise to two daughter cells. In mitosis, the two daughter cells contain the same genetic content as the brood cell. In meiosis, the daughter cells have different genetic content and half the number of chromosomes of the brood cell.

Synonym: parent cell, mother cell, metrocyte.
See also: cell division.