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Glite Dictionary
lymph cell

lymph cell

4.6
A small white blood cell that helps the body fight infection and often increases during illness
  • noun
  • /lɪmf sɛl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : célula linfoide
  • A sudden rise in lymph cell count can indicate that the body is fighting an infection.

Examples

  • Doctors measured the patient's lymph cell levels to monitor his immune response after surgery.

  • Low lymph cell numbers may make a person more susceptible to certain diseases.

  • A lymph cell helps fight infections.

  • The body produces many lymph cells during illness.

  • A sudden rise in lymph cell count can indicate that the body is fighting an infection.

  • Doctors measured the patient's lymph cell levels to monitor his immune response after surgery.

  • Low lymph cell numbers may make a person more susceptible to certain diseases.

Synonyms

lymphocyte
vslymph cell
  • Specialized
8 5.8

A white blood cell that helps the body fight infection

is the more specific description noting no cytoplasmic granules and typical proportion

Surface Forms

lymph cell singular
lymph cells plural

Morphology

lymph + cell

The noun–noun compound is compositionally transparent: 'lymph' (the fluid/lymphatic system) + 'cell' (a microscopic living unit) straightforwardly denotes a cell associated with the lymphatic/immune system. A B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer it is a type of immune/white blood cell, even if they would not predict technical details like granularity or exact counts.

Etymology

The noun lymph cell comes from an old word for clear water, because these cells travel in a clear body fluid called lymph. So a lymph cell is literally a cell in that fluid and now means a white blood cell that helps the body fight infection.