heterophil

[ het-er-uh-fil ]

adjective
  1. Also het·er·o·phil·ic [het-er-uh-fil-ik] /ˌhɛt ər əˈfɪl ɪk/ .Immunology. (of an antibody) having an affinity for an antigen other than its specific antigen.

noun
  1. Cell Biology. a neutrophil

Origin of heterophil

1
First recorded in 1915–20; hetero- + -phil
  • Also het·er·o·phile [het-er-uh-fahyl]. /ˈhɛt ər əˌfaɪl/.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024