Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

agglutinin

 - 5 dictionary results

ag⋅glu⋅ti⋅nin

[uh-gloot-n-in]
–noun Immunology.
an antibody that causes agglutination.

Origin:
1895–1900; agglutin(ate) + -in 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To agglutinin
ag·glu·ti·nin   (ə-glōōt'n-ĭn)   
n.  A substance, such as an antibody, that is capable of causing agglutination of a particular antigen, especially red blood cells or bacteria.

[agglutin(ation) + -in.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ag·glu·ti·nin
Pronunciation: &-'glüt-&n-&n
Function: noun
: a substance (as an antibody)producing agglutination
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

agglutinin ag·glu·ti·nin (ə-gl&oomacr;t'n-ĭn)
n.

  1. A substance, such as an antibody, that is capable of causing agglutination of a particular antigen, especially red blood cells or bacteria.

  2. A substance, other than a specific agglutinating antibody, that causes organic particles to agglutinate.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia

agglutinin

substance that causes particles to congeal in a group or mass, particularly a typical antibody that occurs in the blood serums of immunized and normal human beings and animals. When an agglutinin is added to a uniform suspension of particles (such as bacteria, protozoa, or red cells) that contains the specific surface structure (antigen) with which the agglutinin reacts, the suspended objects adhere to each other, form clumps, fall to the bottom, and leave the suspending diluent clear. This phenomenon of agglutination is a typical antigen-antibody reaction-highly specific, reversible, and involving small reacting groups on the surface of each.

Learn more about agglutinin with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see agglutinin on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: