Neutrophil

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈnjuːtɹəfɪl/

Origin

From German Neutrophil, from neutro- ("neutro-") + -phil ("-phile").

Full definition of neutrophil

Adjective

1. (biology, medicine) Of a cell: being more easily or more fully stained by neutral dyes than by acidic or alkaline (basic) ones.

Noun

1. (biology, medicine) Such a cell, especially a white blood cell.
• 2011, Terence Allen and Graham Cowling, The Cell: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford 2011, p. 89:One litre of human blood contains about five billion neutrophils (around half of all white blood cells).

Synonyms

• neutrophil granulocyte