Interferon
//ˌɪn.təˈfɪːˌɒn// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of a group of glycoproteins, produced by the immune system, that prevent viral replication in infected cells.
- 2 an antiviral protein produced by cells that have been invaded by a virus; inhibits replication of the virus wordnet
Example
More examples"Testing them at the two-year mark, they found that those children with the highest levels of a blood biomarker called interferon gamma had a 40-fold increase in the risk of developing active tuberculosis."
Etymology
From interfer~ + -on (suffix: chemical compound), from its role interfering with viral replication.
Related phrases
More for "interferon"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.