cytotoxin
|cy-to-tox-in|
🇺🇸
/ˈsaɪtəˌtɑksɪn/
🇬🇧
/ˈsaɪtəˌtɒksɪn/
cell poison
Etymology
'cytotoxin' originates from combining forms in New Latin/Greek: 'cyto-' from Greek 'κύτος' (kytos) meaning 'container, cell' and 'toxin' from Greek 'τοξικόν' (toxikon) meaning 'poison'.
'cytotoxin' was formed in modern scientific English by combining 'cyto-' (a New Latin combining form from Greek 'kytos') with 'toxin' (which entered English via Modern Latin/French from Greek 'toxikon'); the compound arose as biomedical vocabulary in the 19th–20th century to name poisons affecting cells.
Initially, 'toxin' broadly meant a poisonous substance (originally associated with 'poison for arrows'), and over time 'cytotoxin' came to be used specifically for substances that damage or kill cells.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a toxin that is harmful or lethal to cells; a substance that damages or kills cells (produced by organisms or synthetic) by disrupting cellular function or structure.
The bacterium secretes a cytotoxin that destroys intestinal epithelial cells.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
a substance produced or released by immune cells (or other cells) that induces death or dysfunction in target cells, e.g., factors released by cytotoxic T cells or natural killer cells.
Cytotoxin released by cytotoxic T lymphocytes can trigger apoptosis in infected cells.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/20 16:38