Lymphocyte
/ˈlɪm.fə.saɪt/noun
A type of white blood cell involved in adaptive immune responses.
Did you know?The word combines lymph, from Latin for clear water, with Greek kytos, meaning a hollow vessel or container—an ancient metaphor for the cell itself.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
lympha
“Clear water or spring water; later, bodily lymph”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kýtos
“A hollow vessel, container, or cavity”
17th Century
English
lymph
“A colorless fluid circulating through the lymphatic vessels”
19th Century
German
Lymphocyt
“A lymph cell, formed from lymph plus Greek-derived cyt-”
19th Century
English
lymphocyte
“A lymphatic white blood cell”
Modern English
English
lymphocyte
“An immune cell, including B cells, T cells, and natural killer cells”