[seer-uh] . 1655–65; < Latin: whey
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
- Serum progesterone is a test to measure the amount of progesterone in the blood.
- If you haven't already, get a serum ferritin test to check if the iron you are taking orally is being absorbed.
- If your serum contains parietal cell antibodies, these antibodies will react with the parietal cells on the slide.
| serum (ˈsɪərəm) | |
| —n , pl -rums, -ra | |
| 1. | See blood serum |
| 2. | antitoxin obtained from the blood serum of immunized animals |
| 3. | physiol, zoology clear watery fluid, esp that exuded by serous membranes |
| 4. | a less common word for whey |
| [C17: from Latin: whey] | |
| 'serumal | |
| —adj | |
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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serum
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serum se·rum (sēr'əm)
n. pl. se·rums or se·ra (sēr'ə)
A watery fluid, especially one that moistens the surface of serous membranes or that is exuded by such membranes when they become inflamed.
The clear yellowish fluid obtained upon separating whole blood into its solid and liquid components.
Such fluid from the tissues of immunized animals, containing antibodies and used to transfer immunity to another individual.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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| serum (sîr'əm) Pronunciation Key
Plural serums or sera
|
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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serum
the portion of plasma remaining after coagulation of blood, during which process the plasma protein fibrinogen is converted to fibrin and remains behind in the clot. Antiserum, which is prepared from the blood of animals or humans that have been exposed to a disease and have developed specific antibodies, is used to protect persons against disease to which they have been exposed.
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