opsonin
Americannoun
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a constituent of normal or immune blood serum that makes invading bacteria more susceptible to the destructive action of the phagocytes.
noun
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a constituent of blood serum that renders invading bacteria more susceptible to ingestion by phagocytes in the serum
Other Word Forms
- opsonic adjective
- opsonoid adjective
Etymology
Origin of opsonin
1900–05; < Latin opsōn ( ium ) victuals (< Greek opsōnía, derivative of opsōneîn to buy provisions) + -in 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A clathrin coating enhances phagocytosis, whereas opsonin reverses the process of phagocytosis.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
But outside myself and the handful of men I am training at St Anne's, there is nobody as yet who has mastered the opsonin treatment.
From The Doctor's Dilemma by Shaw, Bernard
In the method for demonstrating opsonin about to be described, a comparison is made between the opsonic "power" of the pooled serum and the specific serum.
From The Elements of Bacteriological Technique A Laboratory Guide for Medical, Dental, and Technical Students. Second Edition Rewritten and Enlarged. by Eyre, J. W. H. (John William Henry)
The word opsonin is derived from a Greek root which means "to prepare the feast."
From The Pros and Cons of Vivisection by Richet, Charles
Send a drop of the patient's blood to the laboratory at St. Anne's; and in fifteen minutes I'll give you his opsonin index in figures.
From The Doctor's Dilemma by Shaw, Bernard
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.