amyloid

noun

am·​y·​loid ˈa-mə-ˌlȯid 

: a waxy translucent substance consisting primarily of protein that is deposited in some animal organs and tissues under abnormal conditions (such as Alzheimer's disease) compare beta-amyloid

amyloid adjective

Examples of amyloid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

People with Alzheimer’s tend to have clumps of proteins called amyloid plaques that accumulate around the brain cells. —Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 6 Nov. 2025

Over more than nine years, the team tracked the participants' daily steps and used brain scans to measure amyloid-beta and tau, two key proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease. —Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 5 Nov. 2025

An unusual finding was the lack of a relationship between physical activity and a decline in beta amyloid, which appears before tau. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025

The study included nearly 300 people who were still cognitively normal but at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s because their brain scans showed evidence of amyloid plaques, the clumps of protein that are the hallmark of Alzheimer's. —Alice Park, Time, 3 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing amyloid

• amyloid beta
• amyloid beta peptide
• amyloid beta protein
• beta-amyloid
• beta-amyloid peptide
• beta-amyloid protein

Rhymes for amyloid

• adenoid
• alkaloid
• amoeboid
• aneroid
• anthropoid
• arachnoid
• asteroid
• benzenoid
• carcinoid
• celluloid
• coronoid
• humanoid

Medical Definition

amyloid

noun

am·​y·​loid

ˈam-ə-ˌlȯid

1

: a nonnitrogenous starchy food

2

: a waxy translucent substance consisting primarily of protein that is deposited in some animal organs and tissue under abnormal conditions (as in Alzheimer's disease) see beta-amyloid

amyloid adjective