Nucleus

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: nu=cle=us

CIDE DICTIONARY

Nucleus, n. [L., a kernel, dim. fr. nux, nucis, nut. Cf. Newel post.].

•  A kernel; hence, a central mass or point about which matter is gathered, or to which accretion is made; the central or material portion; -- used both literally and figuratively.  [1913 Webster]

  "It must contain within itself a nucleus of truth."  [1913 Webster]
•  The body or the head of a comet.  [1913 Webster]
•  An incipient ovule of soft cellular tissue.  [1913 Webster]
•  A body, usually spheroidal, in a eukaryotic cell, distinguished from the surrounding protoplasm by a difference in refrangibility and in behavior towards chemical reagents, which contains the chromosomal genetic material, including the chromosomal DNA. It is more or less protoplasmic, and consists of a clear fluid (achromatin) through which extends a network of fibers (chromatin) in which may be suspended a second rounded body, the nucleolus (see Nucleoplasm). See Cell division, under Division.  [1913 Webster]

  " The nucleus is sometimes termed the endoplast or endoblast, and in the protozoa is supposed to be concerned in the female part of the reproductive process. See Karyokinesis."  [1913 Webster]
•  The tip, or earliest part, of a univalve or bivalve shell.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Nucleus, n. (pl. nuclei)
1 a the central part or thing round which others are collected. b the kernel of an aggregate or mass.
2 an initial part meant to receive additions.
3 Astron. the solid part of a comet's head.
4 Physics the positively charged central core of an atom that contains most of its mass.
5 Biol. a large dense organelle of eukaryotic cells, containing the genetic material.
6 a discrete mass of grey matter in the central nervous system.

Etymology

L, = kernel, inner part, dimin. of nux nucis nut

THESAURUS

Nucleus

Anlage, Kern, NMR, alpha particle, antibaryon, antilepton, antimeson, atomic nucleus, atomic particle, axiom, axis, baryon, basichromatin, beta particle, bud, center, center of action, center of gravity, centroid, centrum, chromatin, chromatin strands, core, dead center, diameter, diaphragm, egg, electron, elementary particle, elixir, embryo, epicenter, equator, essence, essential, flower, focus, fundamental, germ, germen, gist, gravamen, heart, heterochromatin, hub, hypostasis, inner essence, interior, karyosome, karyotin, kernel, lepton, loins, macronucleus, marrow, mean, meat, median, medulla, meganucleus, meson, metacenter, micronucleus, middle, midmost, midriff, midst, nave, navel, neutron, nub, nuclear force, nuclear magnetic resonance, nuclear particle, nuclear resonance, nucleolus, nucleon, nucleosynthesis, nuts and bolts, omphalos, ovum, photon, pith, pivot, plasmosome, postulate, principle, proton, quid, quiddity, quintessence, rudiment, sap, seed, soul, spark, spermatozoon, spirit, storm center, strangeness, strong interaction, stuff, substance, the nitty-gritty, thick, thick of things, triton, umbilicus, valence electron, waist, waistline, zone

ROGET THESAURUS

Nucleus

Importance

N importance, consequence, moment, prominence, consideration, mark, materialness, import, significance, concern, emphasis, interest, greatness, superiority, notability, weight, value, usefulness, gravity, seriousness, solemnity, no joke, no laughing matter, pressure, urgency, stress, matter of life and death, memorabilia, notabilia, great doings, red-letter day, great thing, great point, main chance, the be all and the end all, cardinal point, substance, gist, sum and substance, gravamen, head and front, important part, principal part, prominent part, essential part, half the battle, sine qua non, breath of one's nostrils, cream, salt, core, kernel, heart, nucleus, keynote, keystone, corner stone, trump card, salient points, top sawyer, first fiddle, prima donna, chief, triton among the minnows, 'it', important, of importance, momentous, material, to the point, not to be overlooked, not to be despised, not to be sneezed at, egregious, weighty, of note, notable, prominent, salient, signal, memorable, remarkable, unforgettable, worthy of remark, worthy of notice, never to be forgotten, stirring, eventful, grave, serious, earnest, noble, grand, solemn, impressive, commanding, imposing, urgent, pressing, critical, instant, paramount, essential, vital, all-absorbing, radical, cardinal, chief, main, prime, primary, principal, leading, capital, foremost, overruling, of vital importance in the front rank, first-rate, superior, considerable, marked, rare, significant, telling, trenchant, emphatic, pregnant, tanti, materially, in the main, above all, kat' exochin, par excellence, to crown all, to beat all, expende Hannibalem!.

Middle

N middle, midst, mediety, mean, medium, middle term, center &c, mid-course, mezzo termine, juste milieu, halfway house, nave, navel, omphalos, nucleus, nucleolus, equidistance, bisection, half distance, equator, diaphragm, midriff, intermediate, middle, medial, mesial, mean, mid, median, average, middlemost, midmost, mediate, intermediate, equidistant, central, mediterranean, equatorial, homocentric, in the middle, midway, halfway, midships, amidships, in medias res.

Cause

N cause, origin, source, principle, element, occasioner, prime mover, primum mobile, vera causa, author, mainspring, agent, leaven, groundwork, foundation, spring, fountain, well, font, fountainhead, spring head, wellhead, fons et origo, genesis, descent, remote cause, influence, pivot, hinge, turning point, lever, crux, fulcrum, key, proximate cause, causa causans, straw that breaks the camel's back, ground, reason, reason why, why and wherefore, rationale, occasion, derivation, final cause, les dessous des cartes, undercurrents, rudiment, egg, germ, embryo, bud, root, radix radical, etymon, nucleus, seed, stem, stock, stirps, trunk, tap-root, gemmule, radicle, semen, sperm, nest, cradle, nursery, womb, nidus, birthplace, hotbed, causality, causation, origination, production, caused, causal, original, primary, primitive, primordial, aboriginal, protogenal, radical, embryonic, embryotic, in embryo, in ovo, seminal, germinal, at the bottom of, connate, having a common origin, because, behind the scenes, causa latet vis est notissima, felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas.

Centrality

N centrality, centricalness, center, middle, focus, core, kernel, nucleus, nucleolus, heart, pole axis, bull's eye, nave, navel, umbilicus, backbone, marrow, pith, vertebra, vertebral column, hotbed, concentration, centralization, symmetry, center of gravity, center of pressure, center of percussion, center of oscillation, center of buoyancy, metacenter, central, centrical, middle, azygous, axial, focal, umbilical, concentric, middlemost, rachidian, spinal, vertebral, middle, midst, centrally.