Cell Vocabulary

Front 1

Organelle

Back 1

A tiny cell structure that carries out a specific function within the cell.

Front 2

Cell Wall

Back 2

A rigid layer of nonliving material that surrounds the cell of plants and some other organisms. The cells of animals, in contrast, do not have cell walls. It supports and protects the cell.

Front 3

Cell Membrane

Back 3

A cell structure that controls which substances can enter or leave the cell. It is a barrier between the cell and its environment.

Front 4

Nucleus

Back 4

It is a cell structure that contains nucleic acids, the chemical instructions that directs all the cell's activities, including reproduction.

Front 5

Cytoplasm

Back 5

The region between the cell membrane and the nucleus; in organisms without a nucleus, the region is located inside the cell membrane. Gel-like fluid. Many substances important to life are dissolved in the cytoplasm.

Front 6

Mitochondria = more than one
Mitochondrion = one

Back 6

Rod-shaped cell structures that convert energy in food molecules to energy the cell can use to carry out its functions. This structure requires OXYGEN.

Front 7

Endoplasmic Reticulum

Back 7

rER: Transports proteins from ribosomes to the Golgi Body. It is covered in ribosomes.
sER: Can produce and transport fats throughout the cell.

Front 8

Ribosomes

Back 8

A small grain-like structure in the cytoplasm or found on the endoplasmic reticulum of a cell where proteins are made. Ribosomes read RNA instructions and use them to make proteins.

Front 9

Golgi Body

Back 9

A structure in the cell that receives proteins and other newly formed materials from the endoplasmic reticulum, sorts them, packages them, and distributes them to other parts of the cell. Some get sent out of the cell. Some become part of the membrane. Some go to lysosomes.

Front 10

Chloroplast

Back 10

A structure in the cells of plants and some other organisms that captures energy from sunlight and uses it to produce food. It makes food from Co2 and gives up oxygen as a waste.

Front 11

Vacuole

Back 11

A sac inside a cell that acts as a storage area. It stores food, waste, and water. Animal cells have many small ones, or none at all. Plant cells have one large one.

Front 12

Lysosome

Back 12

A small, round cell structure containing chemicals, called digestive enzyemes, that break down large food particles and old, worn out organelles into smaller ones.

Front 13

Nuclear Envelope

Back 13

Materials pass in and out of the nucleus through pores in the nuclear envelope. It protects the chromatin (DNA).

Front 14

Chromatin (DNA)

Back 14

These strands, called chromatin, contain genetic material (DNA), the instructions (genes) for directing the cell's functions. Copies of genes are called RNA.

Front 15

Nucleolus

Back 15

This structure, a nucleolus, is where ribosomes are made.