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cytotoxin

American  
[sahy-tuh-tok-sin] / ˌsaɪ təˈtɒk sɪn /

noun

Immunology, Pharmacology.

  1. a substance that has a toxic effect on certain cells.

cytotoxin British  
/ ˌsaɪtəʊˈtɒksɪn /

noun

  1. any substance that is poisonous to living cells

"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

Other Word Forms

  • cytotoxic adjective

Etymology

Origin of cytotoxin

First recorded in 1900–05; cyto- + toxin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It turned out to be a cytotoxin, a cell poison with the strange selective trick of attacking some cells more than others.

From Time Magazine Archive

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.