Definition of "apoptosis" []

• Disintegration of cells into membrane-bound particles that are then eliminated by phagocytosis or by shedding. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "She thought of how the word apoptosis meaning “cell death,” came from the Greek word for “falling leaves.”"
• "The process of cells dying is a highly controlled one that is called apoptosis, which is a Greek word that means “petals dropping off a plant.”"
• "So, when a telomere gets short, that's when either senescence or apoptosis is triggered."