Meanings
nounliposome (plural liposomes)
plural liposomes
- biochemistryAn aqueous compartment enclosed by a bimolecular membrane, typically of phospholipid; a lipid vesicle.
Albrecht applied the term "liposome" to small refractive droplets observed in freshly mounted sections of liver and other tissues.
1930 September, Ben Dawes, “The Absorption of Fats and Lipoids in the Plaice (P. platessa L.)”, in Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, volume 17, number 1, page 75
Origin
- Ancient Greekσῶμα“soma”
- Ancient Greekλίπος“fat”
- Englishliposome
From lipo- (“fat”) + -some (“body”). From Ancient Greek λίπος (lípos, “fat”) and Ancient Greek σῶμα (sôma, “soma”).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 脂質體 /脂质体, 微脂粒
- 脂質體 /脂质体an aqueous compartment
- 微脂粒 (wéizhǐlì)an aqueous compartment
French liposome
- liposomean aqueous compartment
Japanese リポソーム
- リポソーム (riposōmu)an aqueous compartment
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
liposome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/liposome
MLA
“liposome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/liposome. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “liposome,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/liposome.
Source: liposome on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.