syncytium

A large cell-like structure formed by the joining together of two or more cells. The plural is syncytia.

A group of cells in which cytoplasmic continuity is maintained; the effect is of a multinucleate cell.

A mass of cytoplasm containing many nuclei that are enclosed by a single plasma membrane. This is usually the result of either cell fusion or a series of incomplete division cycles in which the nuclei divide but the cell does not.