The
soma (pl.
somata or
somas),
perikaryon (pl.
perikarya),
cyton, or "
cell body" is the bulbous end of a
neuron, containing the
cell nucleus. The word "soma" comes from the
Greek , meaning "body". There are many different specialized types of neurons, and their sizes vary from as small as about 5
micrometres to over 10 millimetre for some of the smallest and largest neurons of
invertebrates, respectively.