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precipitin

[pri-sip-i-tin]
noun Immunology.
  1. an antibody that reacts with its specific antigen to form an insoluble precipitate.
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Origin of precipitin

First recorded in 1895–1900; precipit(ate) + -in2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for precipitin

Historical Examples

  • Some precipitin tests and preliminary remarks on the systematic relationships of four South American families of frogs.

    The Genera of Phyllomedusine Frogs (Anura Hylidae)

    William E. Duellman

  • The antiserum used for the precipitin reaction was obtained by treating a rabbit with human blood serum.

  • Now all these specific reactions, the precipitin reaction as well as the anaphylactic reaction, can be called forth by proteins.

  • Sasaki demonstrated the usefulness of the precipitin technique in distinguishing species of ducks and their hybrids.

  • The precipitin reaction, however, has never been applied to actual problems in avian taxonomy prior to the present study.

British Dictionary definitions for precipitin

precipitin

noun
  1. immunol an antibody that causes precipitation when mixed with its specific antigen
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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
precipitin in Medicine

precipitin

(prĭ-sĭp′ĭ-tĭn)
n.
  1. An antibody that under suitable conditions combines with and causes a specific soluble antigen to precipitate.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.