globulin

[ glob-yuh-lin ]

noun

, Biochemistry.

1. any of a group of proteins, as myosin, occurring in plant and animal tissue, insoluble in pure water but soluble in dilute salt solutions and coagulable by heat.
2. any of several groups of blood plasma proteins, divided into fractions, as alpha, beta, or gamma globulin, depending on electrophoretic mobility.

globulin

/ ˈɡlɒbjʊlɪn /

noun

1. any of a group of simple proteins, including gamma globulin, that are generally insoluble in water but soluble in salt solutions and coagulated by heat

globulin

/ glŏb′yə-lĭn /

1. A major class of proteins found in the seeds of plants and in various tissues and substances of vertebrate and invertebrate animals, including blood, muscle, and milk. The globulins in blood comprise all the plasma proteins besides albumin. Two kinds, alpha and beta globulin, are primarily transport proteins or serve as substrates for forming other substances, and include lipoproteins and enzymes. A third kind, the gamma globulins, consists almost entirely of the immunoglobulins. Most globulins are insoluble in water but soluble in saline solution.

Word History and Origins

Origin of globulin¹

First recorded in 1825–35; globule + -in ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of globulin¹

C19: from globule + -in

Example Sentences

We were herded into hastily set-up clinics to get shots of gamma globulin, which was thought to boost our immune systems.

From Salon

Instead, they lined us up in the hallways and gave us shots of gamma globulin to boost our immune systems.

From Salon

IVig — short for intravenous immune globulin — is a treatment for patients with antibody deficiencies.

From Fox News

There was no “religious exemption” for a gamma globulin or polio vaccination.

From Washington Post

Individuals receive a dose of the rabies vaccine and human rabies immune globulin on the first day, then a dose of the rabies vaccine on days 3, 7, and 14.

From Fox News