heavy chain

nounImmunology.

either of an identical pair of Y-shaped polypeptides that, together with the light chains, constitute the antibody molecule.

Origin of heavy chain

First recorded in 1960–65

Also called H chain

Words Nearby heavy chain

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

How to use heavy chain in a sentence

He was covered in dark, full-body fur, horns curling out of his head, rattling his heavy chains at my sweet little boys.
I brought my kids to the Devil for Christmas. And they’re fine. Right? | Petula Dvorak | December 17, 2020 | Washington Post
Each master wears a heavy chain collar comprised of links of different metals, each representing a different area of study.
Game of Thrones for Dummies | Jace Lacob | April 13, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
What was his astonishment at finding an enormous padlock and a heavy chain upon the door!
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail | Arthur R. Thompson
I was loaded with a heavy chain, which confined my legs, my companion the same, and we were left to our fate.
Confessions of a Thug | Philip Meadows Taylor
He found him sitting on the bare floor, with a heavy chain around his neck, and firmly fastened at the other end into the wall.
Fox's Book of Martyrs | John Foxe

A house at Athens was haunted by a spirit which roamed through the apartments at night, seemingly dragging a heavy chain after it.
The Mysteries of All Nations | James Grant
Their wrists were manacled, and, as a further precaution, a heavy chain bound their arms to their waists.
The Great Mogul | Louis Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for heavy chain

heavy chain

noun

immunol a type of polypeptide chain present in an immunoglobulin molecule

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 heavy chain

heavy chain

[ hĕv′ē ]

The larger of the two types of polypeptide chains in an immunoglobulin molecule. A heavy chain consists of an antigen-binding portion having a variable amino acid sequence, and a constant region that is different for each class of imunoglobulin. Each heavy chain is one of a Y-shaped identical pair and is attached along its variable region to a smaller light chain. Compare light chain.

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