Wiktionary
n. (context biology English) A self-organized, endogenously ordered, spherical collection of phospholipids proposed as a stepping-stone to the origin of life
Wikipedia
A protocell (or protobiont) is a self-organized, endogenously ordered, spherical collection of lipids proposed as a stepping-stone to the origin of life. A central question in evolution is how simple protocells first arose and how they could differ in reproductive output, thus enabling the accumulation of novel biological emergences over time, i.e. biological evolution. Although a functional protocell has not yet been achieved in a laboratory setting, the goal to understand the process appears well within reach.
Usage examples of "protocell".
In a dream-like state I envisioned the final struggles of a primordial protocell trying to properly align its pigmented spot to sunlight for the energy required to keep itself buoyant and replicate.
He got back to the assembly of the early terrestrial protocells without any problems, but then the database began skipping all over the place.