amyloid

American  

[am-uh-loid] / ˈæm əˌlɔɪd /

noun

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

2. a nonnitrogenous food consisting especially of starch.

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adjective

1. Also amyloidal of, resembling, or containing amylum.

amyloid British  

/ ˈæmɪˌlɔɪd /

noun

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

2. any substance resembling starch

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adjective

1. starchlike

amyloid Scientific  

/ ăm′ə-loid′ /

1. 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.

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1. Starchlike.

Etymology

Origin of amyloid

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

Example Sentences

It looked at 17 studies, involving 20,342 volunteers, of drugs that remove amyloid - a misfolded protein present in disease - from the brain.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

Scientists originally expected microglia to play the larger role in clearing amyloid plaques because these immune cells help remove harmful material from the brain and are the primary producers of IDOL.

From Science Daily • May 20, 2026

AstraZeneca expects to release data from a transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy late-stage study for Wainua—which is already approved in the U.S. for a related disease—in the second half of the year.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

And while the researchers looked at 17 different medical studies, only two of those related specifically to Leqembi and Kisunla; the others related to other drugs that targeted amyloid clusters.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026

In composition hydrocellulose resembles the product formed by the addition of sulphuric acid which has received the name of amyloid.

From The Dyeing of Cotton Fabrics A Practical Handbook for the Dyer and Student by Beech, Franklin