hapten

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noun

Any small molecule that can elicit an immune response only when attached to a large carrier such as a protein.

Similar
haptene
OriginGerman Hapten ← Ancient Greek ἅπτειν →
UncommonScrabble 11
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Meanings

nounhapten (plural haptens)

plural haptens

  1. immunologyAny small molecule that can elicit an immune response only when attached to a large carrier such as a protein.

    Synonyms: haptene

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAny small molecule that can elicit an immune response only when attached to a large carrier such as a protein.

Similar
haptene

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἅπτειν“to fasten”
  2. GermanHapten
  3. Englishhapten

Early 20th century: from German Hapten, from Ancient Greek ἅπτειν (háptein, “to fasten”).

More words from German, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan haptè
  • haptèTranslations
French haptène
  • haptèneTranslations
Italian aptene
  • apteneTranslations
Spanish hapteno
  • haptenoTranslations

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Paneth
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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