WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
B cell, [Biol.]
- ImmunologyAlso called B lymphocyte. a type of lymphocyte, developed in bone marrow, that circulates in the blood and lymph and, upon encountering a particular foreign antigen, differentiates into a clone of plasma cells that secrete a specific antibody and a clone of memory cells that make the antibody on subsequent encounters.
- BiologyAlso called beta cell. a cell in the islet of Langerhans that produces and secretes insulin.
- 1970–75; (def. 1) perh. B(one-derived); (def. 2) B(ursa of Langerhans-derived)
'B cell' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):