polyclonal
|pol-y-clo-nal|
🇺🇸
/ˌpɑːliˈkloʊnəl/
🇬🇧
/ˌpɒlɪˈkləʊnəl/
made from many clones
Etymology
'polyclonal' originates from the Greek prefix 'poly-' (from Greek 'polys') meaning 'many' and from 'clonal', derived from 'clone' (from Greek 'klon'), where 'klon' meant 'twig' or 'sprout'.
'polyclonal' is a modern English formation combining the prefix 'poly-' with the adjective 'clonal' (from 'clone'). The noun 'clone' was coined in the early 20th century from Greek 'klon' ('twig'), and later produced the adjective 'clonal'; combining these produced 'polyclonal' in 20th-century scientific usage.
Initially itdenoted 'composed of multiple clones' in scientific contexts, and this core meaning has largely been retained in modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
derived from or produced by multiple clones (especially B‑cell lineages); e.g., antibodies that originate from several different B‑cell clones and therefore represent a mixture of specificities.
The lab used polyclonal antibodies to detect the target protein.
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Adjective 2
composed of cells originating from multiple ancestral cells (opposite of monoclonal); used in pathology and cell biology to describe tissues or lesions with multiple cellular origins.
Analysis showed the lesion was polyclonal, suggesting a reactive rather than neoplastic process.
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Last updated: 2025/12/08 03:19