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Glite Dictionary
Cox

Cox

7.9
Enzymes in the body that help make chemicals that cause pain and swelling, blocked by drugs like aspirin
  • noun
  • /kɒks/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Cox
  • Researchers studied the role of COX-1 and COX-2 in the body's response to injury.

Aspirin latches onto the Coxes and then breaks off, taking them out permanently.

Examples

  • The doctor explained that COX enzymes are essential for producing substances that cause inflammation.

  • Aspirin works by inhibiting COX enzymes, which helps reduce pain and inflammation.

  • Aspirin latches onto the Coxes and then breaks off, taking them out permanently.

    Sabine Hossenfelder

Synonyms

cyclooxygenase
vsCox
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A protein in the body that helps make chemicals causing pain, fever, and inflammation and that aspirin blocks

refers to one specific member of those two related enzymes

Compounds

Cox-2 inhibitor
  • Specialized
1 4.7

A drug that reduces pain and swelling by blocking a specific enzyme

Surface Forms

Cox singular
Coxes plural

Morphology

Cox = C + O + X

This is an acronym (COX) for cyclooxygenase, so its meaning is conventional rather than derivable from ordinary English morphemes.

Etymology

Cox in medicine comes from the short name COX for the enzyme cyclooxygenase, which is built from cycle ('circle') and oxygen ('oxygen'). So, these enzymes help make body chemicals that cause pain and swelling, and blocking Cox with drugs like aspirin reduces pain and swelling.