endotoxin

American  

[en-doh-tok-sin] / ˌɛn doʊˈtɒk sɪn /

noun

Biochemistry.

1. the toxic protoplasm liberated when a microorganism dies and disintegrates, as in Eberthella typhi, the causative agent of typhoid fever.

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endotoxin British  

/ ˌɛndəʊˈtɒksɪn /

noun

1. a toxin contained within the protoplasm of an organism, esp a bacterium, and liberated only at death

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Other Word Forms

• endotoxic adjective

Etymology

Origin of endotoxin

First recorded in 1900–05; endo- + toxin

Compare meaning

How does endotoxin compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• endotoxin vs. exotoxin

Example Sentences

The team discovered that when pest control successfully reduced cockroach numbers, both allergen and endotoxin levels dropped sharply.

From Science Daily • Nov. 4, 2025

After the pharmacist first testified the drugs are tested for endotoxins, the investigation found he later said he didn’t know endotoxin testing was required, Henry wrote.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 25, 2023

The European Pharmacopeia approved rFC for endotoxin testing last year.

From Washington Post • Jul. 30, 2021

Lonza said its rFC product, PyroGene, now accounts for less than 5 percent of its endotoxin test sales but sees fortunes changing as global pharmacopoeias act.

From Reuters • Aug. 1, 2019

The horseshoe crab is a primitive fossil of a beast, ancient and uncitified, but he is just as vulnerable to disorganization by endotoxin as a rabbit or a man.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas