Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

interleukin

/ˌɪntɚlˈukɪn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.69 in modern English

Syllables: in-ter-leukin
IPA: /ˌɪntɚlˈukɪn/

15

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of a group of cytokine proteins important in the regulation of lymphocyte function.

Example Sentences

"Indeed, it’s possible to create the full storm of cold symptoms with no cold virus at all, but only a potent cocktail of the so-called inflammatory mediators that the body makes itself[,] among them, cytokines, kinins, prostaglandins and interleukins, powerful little chemical messengers that cause the blood vessels in the nose to dilate and leak, stimulate the secretion of mucus, activate sneeze and cough reflexes and set off pain in our nerve fibers."
"As another interleukin 12/23 antagonist, briakinumab, was withdrawn from further development in part due to concerns about cardiovascular safety, discussion has also emerged on cardiovascular safety of ustekinumab."

Etymology

From inter- + leuko- + -in; *inter-: from Latin inter- (“between, amid”), a form of prepositional inter (“between”). *leuko: from Ancient Greek λευκός (leukós, “white”) *-in: from French -ine, from Latin -īna, feminine of -īnus "of" or "belonging to"

Inflected Forms

interleukins (plural)

Rhymes With

lukin

Questions

How do you pronounce interleukin?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌɪntɚlˈukɪn/.
What does interleukin mean?: Any of a group of cytokine proteins important in the regulation of lymphocyte function.
Where does interleukin come from?: From inter- + leuko- + -in; *inter-: from Latin inter- (“between, amid”), a form of prepositional inter (“between”). *leuko: from Ancient Greek λευκός (leukós, “white”) *-in: from French -ine, from Latin -īna, feminine of -īnus "of" or "belonging to"

How to pronounce interleukin

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