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cachectin

American  
[kuh-kek-tin] / kəˈkɛk tɪn /

noun

  1. Biochemistry, Immunology. a protein that is released by activated macrophages as an immune system defense and, when the defense is overwhelmed, is a cause of cachexia or toxic shock: in humans, identical with tumor necrosis factor.

Etymology

Origin of cachectin

< Greek kachekt ( ikós ) unwell ( cachexia, -tic ) + -in 2

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.