/ English Dictionary |
POLYVALENCE
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
(toxicology) the state of being capable of counteracting more than one toxin or antigen or kind of microorganism
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("polyvalence" is a kind of...):
state (the way something is with respect to its main attributes)
Domain category:
toxicology (the branch of pharmacology that deals with the nature and effects and treatments of poisons)
Derivation:
polyvalent (containing several antibodies each capable of counteracting a specific antigen)
Sense 2
Meaning:
(chemistry) the state of having a valence greater than two
Synonyms:
multivalence; multivalency; polyvalence; polyvalency
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("polyvalence" is a kind of...):
state (the way something is with respect to its main attributes)
Domain category:
chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)
Derivation:
polyvalent (having more than one valence, or having a valence of 3 or higher)