dextran

noun

dex·tran ˈdek-stran

-strən

: any of numerous glucose biopolymers of variable molecular weight that are produced especially by the fermentation of sucrose by bacteria (such as genus Leuconostoc), are found in dental plaque, and are used especially in blood plasma substitutes

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of dextran was in 1879

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Style

“Dextran.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dextran. Accessed 23 Mar. 2023.

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Medical Definition

dextran

noun

dex·tran ˈdek-ˌstran

-strən

: any of numerous biopolymers (C₆H₁₀O₅)_n of variable molecular weight that are produced especially by the fermentation of sucrose by bacteria of the genus Leuconostoc (as L. mesenteroides), are found in dental plaque, and are used especially after suitable chemical modification as blood plasma substitutes, as packing materials in chromatography, and as pharmaceutical agents compare levan