transactivator

T1R1A1N1S1A1C3T1I1V4A1T1O1R1

noun

An endogenous cellular or viral protein that triggers transactivation.

OriginEnglish activator ← Middle English actyf ← Old French actif →
RareScrabble 19
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Meanings

nountransactivator (plural transactivators)

plural transactivators

  1. biologyAn endogenous cellular or viral protein that triggers transactivation.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*terh₂-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*térh₂t
  3. Proto-Indo-European*tr̥h₂ónts
  4. Proto-Indo-European*tr̥h₂n̥ts
  5. Proto-Italic*trāns
  6. Proto-Italic*trāns-
  7. Latintrans-
  8. Englishtrans-
  9. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eǵ-
  10. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éǵeti
  11. Proto-Italic*agō
  12. Latinagō
  13. Ancient Greekἐνεργητικός (energētikós)
  14. Latināctīvu
  15. Old Frenchactif
  16. Middle Englishactyf
  17. Englishactive
  18. Englishactivate
  19. Englishactivator
  20. Englishtransactivator

From trans- + activator.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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