Phys. [f. LEUCO- + -CYTE.] A colorless corpuscle, e.g., one of the white blood-corpuscles, or one of those found in lymph, connective tissue, etc.
1870. Rolleston, Anim. Life, Introd. 18, note. In the absence … of certain animal ‘cytoids’ or ‘leucocytes’ the vaccine poison is inoperative.
1898. Allbutt’s Syst. Med., V. 415. At the present day, the name ‘leucocyte’ has a somewhat wider significance than that of a mere synonym for the different forms of the white corpuscles.
Comb. 1879. J. R. Reynolds, Syst. Med., V. 237. A scraping of the cut surface presents under the microscope a large number of … leucocyte-like corpuscles.
Hence Leucocytal a., of or pertaining to leucocytes. Leucocytary = prec. Leucocytic a., of or pertaining to leucocytes; characterized by the presence of leucocytes. Leucocytosis [after Gr. words in -ωσις] (see quot. 1866).
1879. J. R. Reynolds, Syst. Med., V. 217. An overgrowth of this tissue … may be associated with … *leucocytal excess.
1900. Pop. Sci. Monthly, Jan., 382. We can see the coloring matter penetrating the *leucocytary protoplasmic mass.
1879. J. R. Reynolds, Syst. Med., V. 232. The albumen in *leucocytic blood is said to be diminished.
1898. Allbutt’s Syst. Med., V. 637. Other organs [than the spleen] are not infrequently the seat of diffuse leucocytic infiltrations.
1866. A. Flint, Princ. Med. (1880), 68. According to the nomenclature proposed by Virchow, a temporary increase in the number of white corpuscles in the blood is called *leucocytosis.
1897. Allbutt’s Syst. Med., II. 563. The leucocytosis diminishes rapidly with the fall of temperature.
