gamma globulin
1
7.6
- noun
- /ˈɡæmə ˈɡlɒb.jʊ.lɪn/
- Specialized
:
globulina gamma
- Within the last few days, Dr. Travell has been inferring that all the recent improvements in X's condition are due to the fact that he is now getting gamma globulin and injections of vitamins.
And one time and maybe more than one, the needle went all the way through my arm and gamma globulin went down my chest.
- And one time and maybe more than one, the needle went all the way through my arm and gamma globulin went down my chest.
Examples
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Many healthcare providers use gamma globulin treatments to improve patients' resistance to illness.
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And one time and maybe more than one, the needle went all the way through my arm and gamma globulin went down my chest.
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Maybe give me gamma globulin?
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The whole family had to go to the doctor's office for gamma globulin injections.
Fiction book (2001) -
The next day we went to the hospital for Anti-D gamma globulin, as I'm Rh negative and my husband is Rh positive (and the baby too).
Fiction book (1998) -
In addition, human gamma globulin and monoclonal antibodies have prophylactic and therapeutic effects in mice infected with Bordetella pertussis.
Academic text (1992) -
The doctor recommended a gamma globulin injection to strengthen my immune system.
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After her surgery, she received gamma globulin to help fight off infections.
Synonyms
4
8.1
A protein made by the body that helps fight infection
3
7.0
A protein made by the body that acts as an antibody to fight germs
1
5.3
Proteins that the body makes to help fight infections
A blood protein made by the body to fight infections
A protein from human blood that helps the body fight infections
Proteins in the liquid part of blood that include most antibodies that help fight infection
Surface Forms
Morphology
gamma + globulin
The phrase is compositionally built from 'gamma' (a Greek-letter label indicating a subclass) and 'globulin' (a type of protein), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to a kind of globulin/protein. However, the precise medical sense (i.e., that it denotes immunoglobulins in plasma that play a role in immunity) is specialized domain knowledge and not fully predictable from the parts for an average B1 learner, so the transparency is partial.
Etymology
Gamma globulin comes from old lab tests where blood proteins were split into bands and the third band, called gamma, held small round proteins called globulins or 'antibodies' that fight infection. So today gamma globulin refers to those antibodies, or to a shot of those proteins that helps the body's immune system.