ribosome

[ rahy-buh-sohm ]

noun

, Cell Biology.

1. a tiny, somewhat mitten-shaped organelle occurring in great numbers in the cell cytoplasm either freely, in small clusters, or attached to the outer surfaces of endoplasmic reticula, and functioning as the site of protein manufacture.

ribosome

/ ˈraɪbəˌsəʊm /

noun

1. any of numerous minute particles in the cytoplasm of cells, either free or attached to the endoplasmic reticulum, that contain RNA and protein and are the site of protein synthesis

ribosome

/ rī′bə-sōm′ /

1. A sphere-shaped structure within the cytoplasm of a cell that is composed of RNA and protein and is the site of protein synthesis. Ribosomes are free in the cytoplasm and often attached to the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum . Ribosomes exist in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Plastids and mitochondria in eukaryotic cells have smaller ribosomes similar to those of prokaryotes.
2. See more at cell

ribosome

1. A small, ball-like structure in the cell , made of proteins and RNA molecules , that serves as a platform on which the cell's proteins are made.

Derived Forms

• ˌriboˈsomal, adjective

Other Words From

• ribo·somal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ribosome¹

First recorded in 1955–60; ribo(se) + -some ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of ribosome¹

C20: from ribo ( nucleic acid ) + -some ³

Example Sentences

Mathematical models further showed that this results in a ribosome versus ATP tug-of-war over a limited supply of magnesium in the cell.

From Science Daily

About 10 million times smaller than a football, a vault is still large for a cell—about three times the mass of the much better known ribosomes that translate RNAs into proteins.

From Science Magazine

Once there, it replicates, and utilizes the bacterial ribosomes to produce the proteins it needs.

From Science Daily

In each cell there is a machinery called the ribosome.

From Science Daily

While modern ribosomes are a complex of RNAs and proteins, ribozymes during early evolutionary stages may have been pieced together through the assembly of individual functional RNA units.

From Science Daily