Mastocyte
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 mast cell
- 2 a large connective tissue cell that contains histamine and heparin and serotonin which are released in allergic reactions or in response to injury or inflammation wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsEtymology
From German Mastzelle f, "feeding cell," coined in 1878 by immunologist Paul Ehrlich; "Mast" + Ancient Greek κύτος (kútos, “cell”). Not a cognate with the Ancient Greek root μαστός (mastós, “(human) breast”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.