cell wall

noun, Biology
1.
the definite boundary or wall that is part of the outer structure of certain cells, as a plant cell.
Origin
1840-50
British Dictionary definitions for cell walls

cell wall

noun
1.
the outer layer of a cell, esp the structure in plant cells that consists of cellulose, lignin, etc, and gives mechanical support to the cell
cell walls in Medicine

cell wall n.
The rigid outermost cell layer found in plants and certain algae, bacteria, and fungi but characteristically absent from animal cells.

cell walls in Science
cell wall  
The outermost layer of cells in plants, bacteria, fungi, and many algae that gives shape to the cell and protects it from infection. In plants, the cell wall is made up mostly of cellulose, determines tissue texture, and often is crucial to cell function. Compare cell membrane.
cell walls in Culture

cell wall definition


The rigid outer covering of a typical plant cell, composed mainly of cellulose and lying outside the cell membrane. Animal cells do not have cell walls.

Note: It is the cell walls that give plant stems and wood their stiffness.