quadrivalent

American  

[kwod-ruh-vey-luhnt, kwo-driv-uh-] / ˌkwɒd rəˈveɪ lənt, kwɒˈdrɪv ə- /

adjective

Chemistry.

1. having a valence of four; tetravalent.

2. exhibiting four different valences, as antimony with valences of 5, 4, 3, and −3.

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quadrivalent British  

/ ˌkwɒdrɪˈveɪlənt /

adjective

1. chem another word for tetravalent

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Other Word Forms

• quadrivalence noun
• quadrivalency noun
• quadrivalently adverb

Etymology

Origin of quadrivalent

First recorded in 1860–65; quadri- + -valent

Example Sentences

Currently, all influenza vaccines in the United States are quadrivalent, meaning that they protect against four different flu viruses.

From Science Daily • Feb. 29, 2024

Fluad quadrivalent: This vaccine contains the same amount of flu antigen as the standard shot but also contains something called an adjuvant.

From Washington Post • Dec. 12, 2022

Japan initially embraced HPV vaccines, approving GlaxoSmithKline’s bivalent shot—which protects against the two HPV types carrying the greatest cancer risk—in 2009, and Merck & Co.’s quadrivalent vaccine in 2011.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 28, 2022

All the flu vaccines are quadrivalent this year, meaning that they contain four strains of the influenza virus.

From Slate • Oct. 4, 2021

The oxygen atom in this nucleus is very strongly basic and exhibits its quadrivalent property by forming stable salts by direct addition of acid radicles.

From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Thatcher, Roscoe Wilfred