tetraspan

T1E1T1R1A1S1P3A1N1

noun

Any of a family of membrane glycoproteins whose multimolecular complexes have four transmembrane domains

OriginEnglish span ← Middle English spanne ← Old English spann →
Scrabble 11
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Meanings

nountetraspan (plural tetraspans)

plural tetraspans

  1. biochemistryAny of a family of membrane glycoproteins whose multimolecular complexes have four transmembrane domains

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kʷetwóres
  2. Proto-Hellenic*kʷétwores
  3. Ancient Greekτέσσᾰρες (téssăres)
  4. Ancient Greekτετρᾰ- (tetră-)
  5. Englishtetra-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*(s)pend-
  7. Proto-Germanic*spannō
  8. Old Englishspann
  9. Middle Englishspanne
  10. Englishspan
  11. Englishtetraspan

From tetra- + span.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

tetraspan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tetraspan

MLA

“tetraspan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tetraspan. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tetraspan,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tetraspan.

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