cell vs pellicle

cell

noun
  • The basic unit of a living organism, consisting of a quantity of protoplasm surrounded by a cell membrane, which is able to synthesize proteins and replicate itself. 

  • A three-dimensional facet of a polytope. 

  • Each of the small hexagonal compartments in a honeycomb. 

  • A small monastery or nunnery dependent on a larger religious establishment. 

  • A small room in a monastery or nunnery accommodating one person. 

  • The minimal unit of a cellular automaton that can change state and has an associated behavior. 

  • A cella. 

  • An area of an insect wing bounded by veins. 

  • A room in a prison or jail for one or more inmates. 

  • A device which stores electrical power; used either singly or together in batteries; the basic unit of a battery. 

  • A small thunderstorm, caused by convection, that forms ahead of a storm front. 

  • A section or compartment of a larger structure. 

  • A small group of people forming part of a larger organization, often an outlawed one. 

  • A single-room dwelling for a hermit. 

  • The unit in a statistical array (a spreadsheet, for example) where a row and a column intersect. 

  • A cellular phone. 

  • In FreeCell-type games, a space where one card can be placed. 

  • The discal cell of the wing of a lepidopteran insect. 

  • A short, fixed-length packet, as in asynchronous transfer mode. 

  • Any of various chambers in a tissue or organism having specific functions. 

  • The space between the ribs of a vaulted roof. 

  • A region of radio reception that is a part of a larger radio network. 

verb
  • To place or enclose in a cell. 

pellicle

noun
  • The growth on the surface of a liquid culture. 

  • A skin or coating of proteins on the surface of meat to be smoked, improving the surface adhesion. 

  • The skin of a mushroom cap. 

  • A thin plastic membrane used as a beam splitter or protective cover. 

  • A thin skin or film. 

  • The outermost layer of a mushroom, often used only for a surface that is viscid and easily peels off. 

  • Cuticle, the hard protective outer layer of certain life forms. 

  • The photosensitive emulsion of photographic film. 

How often have the words cell and pellicle occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )