mitochondrion

Etymology

Coined in German by Carl Benda in 1898, from Ancient Greek μίτος (mítos, “thread”) + χονδρίον (khondríon), diminutive of χόνδρος (khóndros, “grain, morsel”)

noun

1. (cytology) A spherical or ovoid organelle found in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells and containing genetic material separate from that of the host; it is responsible for the conversion of food to usable energy in the form of ATP.
   The consideration of the mitochondrion in the spermatocytes I shall pass over, as it is not within the bounds of this paper; yet I hope to study the earlier generations of my material, and shall then compare the results. February 1902, W. J. Baumgartner, “Spermatid Transformations in Gryllus assimilis, with Special Reference to the Nebenkern”, in Kansas University Science Bulletin, volume 1, number 2