Link Centre Dictionary

mastocyte

mas·to·cyte

uncommon

noun

1.

a large connective tissue cell that contains histamine and heparin and serotonin which are released in allergic reactions or in response to injury or inflammation

Synonyms

Origin

From German Mastzelle f, "feeding cell," coined in 1878 by immunologist Paul Ehrlich; "Mast" + Ancient Greek κύτος (kútos, “cell”). Not a cognate with the Ancient Greek root μαστός (mastós, “(human) breast”).

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Parts

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