Early 18th century; earliest use found in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. From cellule + -ous, after post-classical Latin cellulosuscellulose.
Definition of cellulous in US English:
cellulous
adjectiveˈsɛljʊləs
rare
Cellular.
Origin
Early 18th century; earliest use found in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. From cellule + -ous, after post-classical Latin cellulosus cellulose.