Meanings
nouncathelicidin (plural cathelicidins)
plural cathelicidins
- biochemistryAny of a family of antimicrobial polypeptides found in lysosomes in polymorphonuclear leukocytes.
Origin
From cathelin (“the protein domain conserved in cathelicidins”) + -cide (“killer”) + -in, in 1995.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
cathelicidin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cathelicidin
MLA
“cathelicidin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cathelicidin. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cathelicidin,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cathelicidin.
Source: cathelicidin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.