myc-

American  

1. variant of myco- before a vowel.

   mycelium.

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myc- British  

combining form

1. a variant of myco-

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Usage

What does myc- mean? Myc- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “mushroom, fungus.” It is used in many medical and scientific terms, especially in biology—as well as in a branch of biology known as mycology, as we’ll discuss below.Myc- comes from the Greek mýkēs, meaning “mushroom, fungus.”Myc- is a variant of myco-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.The closely related combining forms myceto- and -mycete both also indicate "mushroom, fungus.” The combining form -mycin used in the names of antibiotics, usually those derived from fungi.Want to know more? Read our Words That Use myco-, myceto-, -mycete, and -mycin articles.

Example Sentences

The researchers focused on MYC, a protein that has been studied for decades in cancer biology.

From Science Daily

MYC is known as an oncoprotein because it plays a major role in pushing cells to divide.

From Science Daily

What remained unclear was how tumors with very high MYC activity avoid being detected by the immune system.

From Science Daily

The researchers discovered that MYC has two distinct functions.

From Science Daily

Under normal conditions, MYC binds to DNA and switches on genes that promote cell growth.

From Science Daily