lymph cell

/lɪmf sɛl/

Other forms: lymph cells

Definitions of lymph cell

1. noun

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

   types:

   B cell, B lymphocyte

   a lymphocyte derived from bone marrow that provides humoral immunity; it recognizes free antigen molecules in solution and matures into plasma cells that secrete immunoglobulin (antibodies) that inactivate the antigens

   T cell, T lymphocyte

   a small lymphocyte developed in the thymus; it orchestrates the immune system's response to infected or malignant cells

   lymphoblast

   an immature lymphocyte

   plasma cell, plasmacyte

   a cell that develops from a B lymphocyte in reaction to a specific antigen; found in bone marrow and sometimes in the blood

   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

   plasmablast

   the precursor of a plasma cell

   type of:

   WBC, leucocyte, leukocyte, white blood cell, white blood corpuscle, white cell, white corpuscle

   blood cells that engulf and digest bacteria and fungi; an important part of the body's defense system