Apoptosis
/ˌæp.əpˈtoʊ.sɪs/noun
A regulated process of programmed cell death in which a cell self-destructs in an orderly way.
Did you know?Apoptosis was coined in the 1970s from Greek roots to describe a clean, controlled cellular “falling away,” not a chaotic collapse, which is why it became a cornerstone idea in modern biology.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀπόπτωσις (apóptōsis)
“a falling off, dropping away”
Late 19th Century
English
apoptosis
“a term later adopted in biology for cell self-destruction”
1972
English
apoptosis
“introduced in modern scientific usage to mean programmed cell death”
Modern English
English
apoptosis
“regulated cellular self-destruction in living organisms”
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