The most abundant type of white blood cell that serves as the body's first line of defense against bacterial infections. These cells quickly migrate to infection sites and destroy bacteria through phagocytosis and toxic granule release.
From Greek 'neutros' meaning neither, and 'philein' meaning to love, coined in the early 1900s. The name refers to these cells' neutral staining properties with laboratory dyes - they don't prefer acidic or basic dyes.
Neutrophils are cellular kamikaze pilots - they literally sacrifice themselves to trap bacteria in sticky DNA webs called NETs (Neutrophil Extracellular Traps). A single neutrophil can release its entire DNA contents to create these bacterial nets!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.