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colony-stimulating factor

n. Abbr. CSF

1. Any of several cytokines that are produced by a variety of cell types and that stimulate progenitor cells in the bone marrow to produce specific types of blood cells, especially white blood cells such as granulocytes. In vitro, these cytokines stimulate the formation of colonies of cells from a single cell.

2. Any of various recombinant forms of one of these cytokines, such as filgrastim, used as a drug.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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