What term describes the death of a cell or cells?

The term that specifically describes the death of a cell or cells is "necrosis." This process refers to the premature death of cells caused by factors such as injury, infection, or lack of blood flow, leading to inflammation and often resulting in a pathological state. Necrosis is characterized by cell swelling, membrane rupture, and the release of cellular contents into the surrounding tissue, which can cause inflammatory responses.

Apoptosis, often referred to as programmed cell death, is a distinct process that is typically a controlled and regulated mechanism allowing the organism to remove unwanted or damaged cells without causing inflammation. This is inherently different from necrosis, which is typically uncontrolled.

Malignant and benign are terms that refer to tumor characteristics rather than cellular death. Malignant describes cancerous cells that can invade and destroy neighboring tissue, while benign refers to non-cancerous growths that do not spread or invade other tissues. These terms do not capture the concept of cell death in the same context as necrosis and apoptosis do.