titer

noun

ti·​ter ˈtī-tər How to pronounce titer (audio)
variants or chiefly British titre
plural titers
1
: the strength of a solution or the concentration of a substance in solution as determined by titration
… if the analyst is using an oxalic acid solution to titrate a solution of calcium oxide, the titer of the oxalic acid solution would be expressed as its CaO titer, or the weight of CaO that is consumed by 1mL of the oxalic acid solution.John Kenkel
2
: a measure of the concentration of a substance (such as an antibody) in a blood sample that is obtained by subjecting the sample to serial dilutions (as with saline) to determine the maximum dilution at which the sample retains a specific activity (such as neutralizing an antigen) and that is often expressed as a ratio (such as 1:200)
I have examples of people who clearly were infected who are antibody negative. They probably have such a low titer of antibody that it's below the level of the cutoff.Anthony Fauci
The Blood Center will also ensure that the plasma has high titers of antibodies against the coronavirus.John Timmer
also : a test for obtaining a blood titer
often used before another noun
an antibody titer test

Examples of titer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web At this time, the low titer is suspected to be related to previous exposure rather than an active infection but should be kept an eye on with her future vet. The Arizona Republic, 26 Jan. 2024 Mice that received the antibodies displayed significantly lower weight loss, more normal pulmonary function, and fewer viral titers in lung tissue than in the control group. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2023 The implication is that if the vaccine elicits a similar or higher antibody titer, and if people who’ve recovered from Covid-19 are immune from catching the disease again for some period of time, then the vaccine should also provide temporary immunity. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2020 Higher-titer plasma was most effective. Adam Rogers, Wired, 21 Aug. 2020 Only high-antibody-titer convalescent plasma was authorized for use. Verywell Health, 27 Jan. 2023 Two to four weeks after vaccination, the researchers found the median live-neutralizing antibody titer for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to be about 1,790 and 5,850, respectively. BostonGlobe.com, 15 Oct. 2021 Whereas when people who are getting infected, who were without symptoms, who are not vaccinated, generally the titer or the level of virus, relatively speaking, is higher than in the vaccinated individuals. CBS News, 16 May 2021 In the next few months, scientists will get a better sense of how to use antibody titer data, and many are already looking at additional boosters for the vaccine. Chronicle Advice Team, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Apr. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'titer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French titre title, proportion of gold or silver in a coin, from Old French title inscription, title

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of titer was in 1861

Dictionary Entries Near titer

Cite this Entry

“Titer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/titer. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

titer

noun
ti·​ter ˈtīt-ər How to pronounce titer (audio)
variants or chiefly British titre
ˈtī-tər also ˈtē-
1
a
: the strength of a solution or the concentration of a substance in solution as determined by titration
b
: a measure of the concentration of a substance (such as an antibody) in a blood sample that is obtained by subjecting the sample to serial dilutions (as with saline) to determine the maximum dilution at which the sample retains a specific activity (such as neutralizing an antigen) and that is often expressed as a ratio
a test for toxoplasmosis antibodies yielded a titer of 1:1024
Children with rash had higher antibody titers than those without rash …Anne A. Gershon et al., The Journal of the American Medical Association
also : a test for obtaining a blood titer
often used before another noun
an antibody titer test
2
: the solidifying point of the fatty acids liberated from a fat that is determined by melting the acids in a tube and noting the temperature at which they solidify again on cooling
titered adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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