n 1 a  :  a person, animal, or plant that harbors and disseminates the specific agent (as a microorganism) causing an infectious disease from which it has recovered or to which it is immune < of typhoid fever>  - compare RESERVOIR2 VECTOR2    b  :  an individual possessing a specified gene and capable of transmitting it to offspring but not of showing its typical expression : esp  :  one that is heterozygous for a recessive factor  2  :  a usu. inactive substance used in association with an active substance esp. for aiding in the application of the active substance: as  a  :  a support for a catalyst  b  :  a vehicle serving esp. as a diluent (as for an insecticide or a drug)  3  :  a substance (as a catalyst) by whose agency some element or group is transferred from one compound to another .
 
 
 
Similar sounding terms:  crura  cu·ra·re 
 
Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.  © 1997-2024.