lymphocytic
Meaning of lymphocytic: Lymphocytic describes anything relating to lymphocytes, the white blood cells central to the body's immune response.
Definition of lymphocytic
Lymphocytic means relating to lymphocytes, a category of white blood cells that play a central role in the immune system, including recognizing specific foreign invaders and coordinating the body's response to infection. The term is used to describe cells, tissue, or conditions in which lymphocytes are a prominent feature.
A lymphocytic finding on a laboratory test or pathology report indicates that lymphocytes make up a notable proportion of the cells observed, as in a lymphocytic infiltrate seen in certain inflammatory conditions or a lymphocytic pattern seen in some types of leukemia. The specific significance of a lymphocytic finding depends on where it is observed and the broader clinical picture.
Lymphocytic is distinct from other white blood cell types, such as neutrophilic, which refers to findings dominated by a different category of white blood cell.
How lymphocytic is built
- lymph/o Combining form · Latin lymph, lymphatic tissue
- cyt/o Combining form · Greek cell
- -ac, -al, -ar, -ary, -eal, -ic Suffix · Greek and Latin pertaining to, relating to
A medical term is read from its ending backwards: the suffix first, then the prefix, then the root. See all 223 word parts.
Used in a sentence
The biopsy showed a dense lymphocytic infiltrate within the affected tissue.
Good to know
A lymphocytic pattern on a laboratory or pathology finding points toward a process dominated by lymphocytes, which carries different diagnostic implications than a neutrophilic pattern dominated by a different type of white blood cell.
Word origin
Where “lymphocytic” comes from
Formed from lymph-, from Latin lympha, meaning "clear water," and -cyte, from Greek kytos, meaning "cell."