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Definition of "somatic" [so•mat•ic]

  • Of, relating to, or affecting the body, especially as distinguished from a body part, the mind, or the environment; corporeal or physical. See Synonyms at bodily. (adjective)
  • Of or relating to the wall of the body cavity, especially as distinguished from the head, limbs, or viscera. (adjective)
  • Of or relating to the portion of the vertebrate nervous system that regulates voluntary movement. (adjective)
  • Of or relating to a somatic cell or the somatoplasm. (adjective)

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.

Use "somatic" in a sentence
  • "And this is the term somatic cell, which means a body cell."
  • "Some scientists now use the term somatic stem cell instead of adult stem cell."
  • "Gene manipulation, as it's being performed now, is gene manipulation of what we call somatic cells."