alexin

A1L1E1X8I1N1
/əˈlɛk.sɪn/

noun

A protective substance that exists in the serum or other bodily fluid and is capable of killing microorganisms; complement.

OriginGerman Alexine ← Ancient Greek ἀλέξω →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

nounalexin (countable and uncountable, plural alexins)

plural alexins · alternative alexine

  1. countabledateduncountablebiochemistryA protective substance that exists in the serum or other bodily fluid and is capable of killing microorganisms; complement.

    The seed of our destruction will blossom in the desert, the alexin of our cure grows by a mountain rock […]

    1929, Thomas Wolfe, Look Homeward, Angel, New York: Scribner, Part One, Chapter 1, p. 3

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
complementtoxosozine

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἀλέξω
  2. GermanAlexine
  3. Englishalexin

Ultimately from German Alexine, coined by Hans Buchner in 1891 from the Ancient Greek ἀλέξω (aléxō).

More words from German, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French alexine
  • alexineprotective substance that exists in the serum
Indonesian aleksin
  • aleksinprotective substance that exists in the serum
Polish aleksyna, dopełniacz
  • aleksynaprotective substance that exists in the serum
  • dopełniaczprotective substance that exists in the serum
Portuguese alexina
  • alexinaprotective substance that exists in the serum

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

xenialexinal
Cite this entry
APA

alexin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alexin

MLA

“alexin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alexin. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “alexin,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alexin.

Source: alexin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.