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polyvalent

[pol-ee-vey-luh nt, puh-liv-uh-luh nt]
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adjective
  1. Chemistry. having more than one valence.
  2. Bacteriology. (of an immune serum) containing several antibodies, each capable of reacting with a specific antigen.
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Origin of polyvalent

First recorded in 1880–85; poly- + -valent
Related formspol·y·va·lence, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for polyvalent

Historical Examples

  • A polyvalent vaccine contains several strains of the infective agent and a mixed contains several different organisms.

    The Fundamentals of Bacteriology

    Charles Bradfield Morrey

  • The complement fixation test is like a Wassermann reaction, but the antigen should be polyvalent.

British Dictionary definitions for polyvalent

polyvalent

adjective
  1. chem having more than one valency
  2. (of a vaccine)
    1. effective against several strains of the same disease-producing microorganism, antigen, or toxin
    2. produced from cultures containing several strains of the same microorganism
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Derived Formspolyvalency, noun
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

Word Origin and History for polyvalent

adj.

1881, from poly- + -valent, from Latin valentem, present participle of valere "be worth" (see valiant). Coined by German chemist Emil Erlenmeyer (1825-1909), who also designed the flask that bears his name.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
polyvalent in Medicine

polyvalent

(pŏl′ē-vā′lənt)
adj.
  1. Acting against or interacting with more than one kind of antigen, antibody, toxin, or microorganism.
  2. Having more than one chemical valence.
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Related formspol′y•va′lence null n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
polyvalent in Science

polyvalent

[pŏl′ē-vā′lənt]
  1. Acting against or interacting with more than one kind of antigen, antibody, toxin, or microorganism.
  2. Having more than one valence. Iron and manganese are polyvalent elements.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.