hapten
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Related to haptene: incomplete antigen
hap·ten
(hăp′tĕn′) also hap·tene (-tēn′)n.
A small molecule that reacts with a specific antibody but does not induce an immune response unless bound to a larger molecule, usually a protein.
[German : Greek haptein, to fasten + German -en, noun suffix (from Greek -ēnē, -ene).]
hap·ten′ic adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
hapten
(ˈhæptən) orhaptene
n
(Physiology) immunol an incomplete antigen that can stimulate antibody production only when it is chemically combined with a particular protein
[C20: from German, from Greek haptein to fasten]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
hap•ten
(ˈhæp tɛn)also hap•tene
(-tin)n.
a substance that reacts with antibodies but cannot by itself stimulate more antibodies; a partial antigen.
[1920–25; < German < Greek hápt(ein) to grasp + German -en -ene]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.