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interferon

in·ter·fe·ron

UK/ˌɪn.təˈfɪːˌɒn/ US/ˌɪn.təɹˈfɪɹˌɑn/ uncommon

noun

1.

an antiviral protein produced by cells that have been invaded by a virus; inhibits replication of the virus

Origin

From interfere + -on (suffix: chemical compound), from its role interfering with viral replication.

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.