amyloid

[ am-uh-loid ]

/ ˈæm əˌlɔɪd /

Save This Word!

noun

Biochemistry. a waxy, translucent substance, composed primarily of protein fibers, that is deposited in various organs of animals in certain diseases.

a nonnitrogenous food consisting especially of starch.

adjective

Also am·y·loi·dal. of, resembling, or containing amylum.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of amyloid

First recorded in 1855–60; amyl- + -oid

Words nearby amyloid

amyl group, amylic, amyl nitrite, amylo-, amylogen, amyloid, amyloidosis, amylolysis, amylopectin, amyloplast, amylopsin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use amyloid in a sentence

There’s no certainty as to why turmeric has this beneficial effect, but researchers believe it’s because of the plant’s anti-inflammatory properties, which help keep Alzheimer’s-causing amyloid plaques from building up between neurons.
Four plants that are scientifically proven to be therapeutic|Sandra Gutierrez G.|January 25, 2021|Popular-Science
Each of these cells has a Balbiani body, a large condensate of amyloid protein found in the oocytes of organisms ranging from spiders to humans.
A Newfound Source of Cellular Order in the Chemistry of Life|Viviane Callier|January 7, 2021|Quanta Magazine
When the oocyte starts to mature into an egg, those amyloid fibers dissolve and the Balbiani body disappears, explains Elvan Böke, a cell and developmental biologist at the Center for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona.
A Newfound Source of Cellular Order in the Chemistry of Life|Viviane Callier|January 7, 2021|Quanta Magazine
Böke is working to understand how these amyloid fibers assemble and dissolve, which could lead to new strategies for treating infertility or neurodegenerative diseases.
A Newfound Source of Cellular Order in the Chemistry of Life|Viviane Callier|January 7, 2021|Quanta Magazine

Aducanumab works by targeting so-called amyloid plaques, which are proteins that build up in the brain and are common among dementia patients.
The world is obsessed with new COVID drugs. But other important treatments are in the works, too|Sy Mukherjee|September 28, 2020|Fortune
Previous drugs targeting amyloid precursor protein, or APP, have failed.
Trial Drug Reverses Alzheimer’s Disease in Mice|Elizabeth Lopatto|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Here, the blockage of RNA prevents extra amyloid from being produced by targeting its precursor protein and making less of it.
Trial Drug Reverses Alzheimer’s Disease in Mice|Elizabeth Lopatto|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Beta amyloid, which OL-1 is meant to lower, was first implicated in the disease at its identification by Alois Alzheimer in 1906.
Trial Drug Reverses Alzheimer’s Disease in Mice|Elizabeth Lopatto|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dominating the research field is a protein called beta amyloid, identified by Alois Alzheimer in 1906.
Twenty Years of Alzheimer’s Research May Have Focused on the Wrong Protein|Elizabeth Lopatto|April 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Most researchers think the disease is caused by the build-up of beta amyloid.
Twenty Years of Alzheimer’s Research May Have Focused on the Wrong Protein|Elizabeth Lopatto|April 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Amyloid, am′i-loid, n. a half-gelatinous substance like starch, found in some seeds.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various
Eberth35 maintains that in all cases the amyloid disturbance is seated in the connective tissue.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various
Amyloid degeneration represents no mere substitution, but an addition, since the affected tissue is increased in volume.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various
The waxy transformation of muscular fibre, however, does not present the reaction with iodine characteristic of amyloid substance.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various
To these may be added the fatty degenerations associated with amyloid and interstitial processes.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various

British Dictionary definitions for amyloid

amyloid

/ (ˈæmɪˌlɔɪd) /

noun

pathol a complex protein resembling starch, deposited in tissues in some degenerative diseases

any substance resembling starch

adjective

starchlike

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for amyloid

amyloid

[ ăm′ə-loid′ ]

Noun

A hard waxy substance consisting of protein and polysaccharides that results from the degeneration of tissue and is deposited in organs or tissues of the body in various chronic diseases.

Adjective

Starchlike.