opsonize

American

[op-suh-nahyz] / ˈɒp səˌnaɪz /

especially British, opsonise

verb (used with object)

Immunology.

opsonized, opsonizing

to increase the susceptibility of (bacteria) to ingestion by phagocytes.

opsonize British

/ ˈɒpsəˌnaɪz, ɒpˈsɒnɪˌfaɪ /

verb

(tr) to subject (bacteria) to the action of opsonins

"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

opsonization noun

Etymology

Origin of opsonize

opson(in) + -ize

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.

Additionally, once they arrive, their receptors for surface-bound C3b opsonize the pathogen for phagocytosis and destruction.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

C-reactive protein is induced to be made by the liver and will opsonize certain species of bacteria.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

I am not now attempting to enumerate the well-recognised odours of animals such as are extracted from them by man in order to "opsonize" himself, but am pointing to the more obscure cases.

From More Science From an Easy Chair by Lankester, E. Ray (Edwin Ray), Sir

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023