T cell

/ti sɛl/

Other forms: T cells

Definitions of T cell

1. noun

   a small lymphocyte developed in the thymus; it orchestrates the immune system's response to infected or malignant cells
   synonyms: T lymphocyte

   types:

   CD4 T cell, CD4 cell, helper T cell, helper cell

   T cell with CD4 receptor that recognizes antigens on the surface of a virus-infected cell and secretes lymphokines that stimulate B cells and killer T cells; helper T cells are infected and killed by the AIDS virus

   CD8 T cell, CD8 cell, cytotoxic T cell, killer T cell, killer cell

   T cell with CD8 receptor that recognizes antigens on the surface of a virus-infected cell and binds to the infected cell and kill it

   type of:

   lymph cell, lymphocyte

   an agranulocytic leukocyte that normally makes up a quarter of the white blood cell count but increases in the presence of infection