Library / English Dictionary

MULTIVALENT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (adjective) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Having many values, meanings, or appeals

Example:

subtle, multivalent allegory

Synonyms:

multi-valued; multivalent

Classified under:

Adjectives

Similar:

ambiguous (having more than one possible meaning)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Having more than one valence, or having a valence of 3 or higher

Synonyms:

multivalent; polyvalent

Classified under:

Adjectives

Attribute:

valence; valency ((chemistry) a property of atoms or radicals; their combining power given in terms of the number of hydrogen atoms (or the equivalent))

Domain category:

chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)

Derivation:

multivalence; multivalency ((chemistry) the state of having a valence greater than two)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Used of the association of three or more homologous chromosomes during the first division of meiosis

Classified under:

Adjectives

Attribute:

valence; valency ((biology) a relative capacity to unite or react or interact as with antigens or a biological substrate)

Domain category:

genetic science; genetics (the branch of biology that studies heredity and variation in organisms)

Antonym:

bivalent (used of homologous chromosomes associated in pairs in synapsis)

univalent (used of a chromosome that is not paired or united with its homologous chromosome during synapsis)

Credits

 Context examples: 

The scientists state that the addition of the Lassa virus component to their multivalent vaccine is an exciting research advance as they already had developed an investigational trivalent vaccine that provided protection against Ebola, Sudan and Marburg viruses.

(Study vaccine protects monkeys against four types of hemorrhagic fever viruse, National Institutes of Health)

Upon administration, allogeneic large multivalent immunogen breast cancer vaccine may stimulate a cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) immune response against tumor cells that express the breast cancer cell-specific LMIs.

(Allogeneic Large Multivalent Immunogen Breast Cancer Vaccine, NCI Thesaurus)

A cancer vaccine, containing human-specific large multivalent immunogen (LMI) isolated from plasma membrane fractions of the melanoma cell lines MSM-M1 and MSM-M2, with potential immunostimulating and antineoplastic activities.

(Allogeneic Large Multivalent Immunogen Melanoma Vaccine LP2307, NCI Thesaurus)

A multivalent vaccine comprised of the epitope antigens of Globo H hexasaccharide 1 (Globo H), GM2 ganglioside, Lewis-Y, MUC1-32-mer, TF(c), and Tn(c) conjugated with keyhole limpet hemocyanin, with potential antineoplastic activity.

(Globo H-GM2-Lewis-y-MUC1-32-mer-TF(c)-Tn(c)-KLH Conjugate Vaccine, NCI Thesaurus)