cytostatic

adjective

cy·​to·​stat·​ic ˌsī-tə-ˈsta-tik How to pronounce cytostatic (audio)
: tending to slow or inhibit cellular activity and multiplication
cytostatic treatment of tumor cells
cytostatic noun

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cytostatic was in 1949

Dictionary Entries Near cytostatic

Cite this Entry

“Cytostatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cytostatic. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

cytostatic

1 of 2 adjective
cy·​to·​stat·​ic ˌsīt-ə-ˈstat-ik How to pronounce cytostatic (audio)
: tending to slow or inhibit cellular activity and multiplication
cytostatic treatment of tumor cells
TNF has a cytolytic effect on approximately one third of tumors tested, a cytostatic effect on another third, and no effect on the remaining third.Scientific American Medicine
cytostatically adverb

cytostatic

2 of 2 noun
: a cytostatic agent
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!