basal cell
Meaning of basal cell: A basal cell is one of the small, round cells forming the deepest layer of the epidermis, where new skin cells are continuously produced.
Definition of basal cell
A basal cell is a small, round cell found in the basal layer, the deepest layer of the epidermis, the outer layer of the skin. Basal cells continuously divide, and as new cells are produced, older cells are pushed upward through the epidermis, gradually flattening and maturing until they are eventually shed from the skin's surface.
This ongoing division makes the basal layer the source of new skin cells that continually replace and renew the epidermis over time. Because basal cells divide actively, they are also the cell type from which basal cell cancer, the most common form of skin cancer, arises when their growth becomes abnormal.
Basal cells are distinct from the pigment producing cells, called melanocytes, that are also present within the basal layer, since melanocytes serve a different function, producing the pigment that gives skin its color and helps protect it from ultraviolet light.
Used in a sentence
Pathology described proliferation of basal cells within the epidermis on biopsy.
Good to know
Basal cells and melanocytes both reside within the basal layer of the epidermis but serve entirely different functions, one dividing to renew the skin and the other producing pigment.
Word origin
Where “basal cell” comes from
Formed from Latin basis, meaning base, describing the position of these cells at the base of the epidermis.