psychrosensitive

psy·chro·sen·sit·ive
UK/ˌsaɪkɹə(ʊ)ˈsɛnsɪtɪv/US/ˌsaɪkɹəˈsɛnsɪtɪv/

adjective

Sensitive to the cold.

First used 20th c.Scrabble 29

Meanings

adjectivepsychrosensitive (comparative more psychrosensitive, superlative most psychrosensitive)

comparative more psychrosensitive · superlative most psychrosensitive

  1. sciencesSensitive to the cold.First known use 20th c.

    [B]acterial taxa which we identified as psychrosensitive were inhibited, whereas taxa identified as psychrophilic flourished.

    2018 July 5, Leendert Vergeynst, Kasper U. Kjeldsen, Pia Lassen, Søren Rysgaard, “Bacterial Community Succession and Degradation Patterns of Hydrocarbons in Seawater at Low Temperature”, in Journal of Hazardous Materials, volume 353, New York, N.Y.: Elsevier, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, →PMID, abstract, page 127
    3 more examples

    [A]ttenuated strains of myxoma virus, like attenuated strains of poliovirus type I, are less thermoresistant and less psychrosensitive (in their replication) than virulent strains.

    1965, Frank Fenner, F[rancis] N[oble] Ratcliffe, “The Continuing Evolution of Myxomatosis”, in Myxomatosis, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, →OCLC, page 341

    The experimental results described above, considered with those reported elsewhere, are compatible with the hypothesis that T-antigen, upon reaching a critical concentration, triggers a psychrosensitive (cold-sensitive) event(s) which leads to the activation of the cellular DNA-synthesizing apparatus and, as a consequence, to the replication of the host cell chromosomes.

    1970 October, Roger Weil, Jindřich Kára, “Polyoma ‘Tumor Antigen’: An Activator of Chromosome Replication?”, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, volume 67, number 2, Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, →PMID, page 1016

    The sequence of events of the lytic infection is essentially the same at 27°C as during infection at 37°C. However, due to a cold-sensitive metabolic process ("psychrosensitive event") that is intercalated between the appearance of T antigen and virus-induced chromatin replication, the time course of infection is considerably slower at 27°C[…].

    1974, R[oger] Weil, C. Salomon, E. May, P. May, “A New Look at the Mode of Action of Polyoma and Related Tumor Viruses”, in Edouard Kurstak, Karl Maramorosch, editors, Viruses, Evolution and Cancer: Basic Considerations, New York, N.Y.: Academic Press, →ISBN, part V (Comparative Viral Oncology), page 468

    Synonyms: cold-sensitive, cryosensitive · Antonyms: psychrophilic

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveSensitive to the cold.

Origin

From psychro- (prefix meaning ‘cold’) + sensitive.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

psychrosensitive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/psychrosensitive

MLA

“psychrosensitive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/psychrosensitive. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “psychrosensitive,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/psychrosensitive.

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