nuclei

Noun

nucleus (plural nuclei or nucleuses)

1. The core, central part of something, around which other elements are assembled.
   • Situated in the centre of the largest agricultural basin in northern Formosa, T’ai-pei (population in 1964 was estimated to be 1,117,000) forms the nucleus of a major industrial area. The T’ai-pei industrial complex includes light and heavy industies within the urbanized area and also in several...1968, Norton S. Ginsburg, “T’AI-PEI”, in Encyclopedia Britannica, volume 21, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 627, column 2
2. An initial part or version that will receive additions.
   • This collection will form the nucleus of a new library.
3. The massive, positively charged central part of an atom, made up of protons and neutrons.
4. A large membrane-enclosed organelle found in eukaryotic cells which contains genetic material.
5. A ganglion, cluster of many neuronal bodies where synapsing occurs.
6. The central part of a syllable, most commonly a vowel.

See all 7 meanings of nucleus