opsono-, opson-, opso-; opsino-; opsoni; -opsony +

(Greek: boiled meat; to buy food; to purchase provisions; shopping)

"Something to accompany bread to make it more palatable"; hence, "condiment, relish". Also used with the biochemical suffix -in which is used in naming antibiotics, the idea being that opsonin acts as a "condiment" to make bacteria more "palatable" to phagocytes.


opsonium (noun)
Anything eaten with bread to get great pleasure or satisfaction from; especially, fish.
opsonization, opsonisation (British) (s); opsonizations, opsonisations (pl) (noun forms)
The making of bacteria and other cells subject to phagocytosis by the action of an opsonin (antibody).
opsonize opsonizes, opsonized, opsonizing (verb forms)
To make foreign bodies; such as, bacteria, susceptible to destruction by white blood cells by coating them with opsonin or protein fragments.
opsonocytophagic (adjective)
Relating to phagocytosis of bacteria that are coated with opsonin.
opsonoid (adjective)
Resembling an opsonin or a constituent of normal or immune blood serum that makes invading bacteria more susceptible to the destructive action of the phagocytes (cells that are able to surround, to engulf, and to digest microorganisms and cellular debris).
opsonology (s), opsonologies (pl) (noun forms)
The science of opsonins or the study of the process in which antibodies make cells or microorganisms more susceptible to the engulfing or covering action of phagocytes which are types of cella in the body which can surround things and swallow them; especially, white blood cells that protect the body against infection by destroying bacteria.
opsonometry (s), opsonometries (pl) (noun forms)
1. A measurement of opsonic activity.
2. The measurement of the level of opsonins that are present in a fluid.
opsonophilia (noun)
An affinity for or an attraction to opsonins.
opsonophilic (adjective) (not comparable)
A reference to that which is attracted to opsonins: An opsonophilic condition is one where bacteria easily join antibodies allowing other cells or bacteria to be susceptible to phagocytosis.
opsonophoric (adjective)
A reference to the conveying, carrying, or moving of opsonin from one place to another.
opsonotherapy (s), opsonotherapies (pl) (noun forms)
Therapeutic treatment of infections by inducing an increase of opsonins (antibodies) in the blood; such as, by using a bacterial vaccine.
opsony (s), opsonies (pl) (noun forms)
Anything eaten along with bread to give it relish; in ancient Greece and Rome, primarily a reference to fish.
opsophagy (noun)
1. The eating of delicacies and in most cases, especially fish.
2. The ingestion of delicacies; such as, sweets, desserts, or other rich fare.
polyopsonistic (adjective)
A reference to the condition of a market characterized by many buyers where the multiple numbers have an effect on the prices of the materials or products.
polyopsony (s), polyopsonies (pl) (noun forms)
The condition of a market characterized by many buyers.

The multiple numbers have an effect on the prices of the materials or products.