The building blocks of English

Affixes

-cyte

Also ‑cytosis.

A cell.

Greek kutos, vessel

This ending usually indicates a mature cell, as opposed to an immature or embryonic cell, whose name ends in ‑blast. For examples, Nouns ending in ‑cytosis refer to an action or condition relating to a cell: phagocytosis (Greek phagein, to eat), the ingestion of bacteria or other material by phagocytes and amoeboid protozoans; endocytosis (Greek endon, within), the taking in of matter by a living cell by turning its cell membrane inside out to form a vacuole.

Examples of words in -cyte

adipocyte

a cell that stores fat

Latin adeps, fat

astrocyte

a star-shaped cell of the nervous system

Greek astron, star

erythrocyte

a red blood cell

Greek eruthros, red

granulocyte

a circulating white blood cell having prominent granules

Latin granulum, a little grain

hepatocyte

a liver cell

Greek hēpar, liver

keratinocyte

a cell in the skin that produces keratin

Greek keras, horn

leucocyte

a white blood cell

Greek leukos, white

lymphocyte

a small white blood cells found in the lymph

Latin lympha, water

melanocyte

a cell in the skin producing dark pigment, as in hair colour or tanning

Greek melas, black

oocyte

a cell in an ovary which may divide to become an ovum

Greek ōion, egg

phagocyte

a cell that absorbs bacteria and other small particles

Greek phagein, to eat

spermatocyte

a cell formed during the creation of spermatozoa

Greek sperma, seed

thrombocyte

a blood cell fragment involved in clotting, a platelet

Greek thrombos, blood clot