n.
Pronunciation: ' lek-t ə n
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin lectus (pp. of legere to pick, select) + 1 -in ― more at LEGEND
Date: 1954
: any of a group of proteins especially of plants that are not antibodies and do not originate in an immune system but bind specif. to carbohydrate-containing receptors on cell surfaces (as of red blood cells)